


Freedom

by AvengingAngel



Series: Wave a Magic Wand [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Babies, Crafts, F/M, Family Fluff, Gastroparesis, Gen, Hermaphrodites, Hiding Medical Issues, Kid Fic, M/M, Magic, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Married Sex, Medical Examination, Medical Procedures, Mpreg Harry, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Surgery, Telepathy, feeding tube
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2020-03-05 15:52:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 68,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18831811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvengingAngel/pseuds/AvengingAngel
Summary: After things have happened, how do you pick up the pieces? When everyone else has decided your life for you, what happens when you finally get to make the choices?Sequel to Salvation.SALVATION IS REQUIRED READING





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Salvation is required reading. This will not make sense unless you read that story first.
> 
> 2\. Some cannon details have been changed purely so certain events and characters fit within the plot of the story.
> 
> 3\. Some themes and events will be distressing to some readers. If you chose not to read this, or start and decide it's not for you, then please feel free to click away. I won't be upset or offended.
> 
> 4\. Chapter One is fairly Solarin heavy. This has a purpose. All will be revealed.

Midea tended the gardens every morning and evening, and it was a privilege she was aware she was lucky to have. It was a highly coveted position to be given and had to be earned through hard work and dedication. It had taken her years as an apprentice to be allowed to tend any of the plants alone. Even now she wasn’t allowed to be in the garden unattended; the Priestess oversaw everything.

The gardens were the jewel of the city, and revered by everyone for one simple reason.

The orchid.

It would only bloom when the conditions were met, and it had not bloomed in over 1000 years. Midea had overheard some of the young ones complaining that it would never bloom. Personally, she sometimes believed the same, and even if it did it probably wouldn’t be in her lifetime.

That morning, Midea hurried to tend the gardens, took the harvested fruit to the market, and then made her way home to prepare the breakfast. Her mother and sisters greeted her warmly and her youngest sister Mileah lead the prayers that day.

Her mother was fading, it was true. It happened to all of them eventually. Life came and went and they were thankful for the time they had. But it was hard to see it happen to your mother.

“Did you hear?” Mikea, the middle of the sisters, said between bites of sweet berries in syrup of the lynka tree. “The High Median is going to announce the new candidates for the Order.”

“Have you applied?” Midea asked.

“I have, and my instructors believe my chance is good, but it is not in my hands.”

“Of course not,” Mileah said. “We don’t decide things.”

“Here we go again,” Mikea muttered.

“It’s the hands of the High Spirits. They decide things, not us. You should pray on it. Or! You could perform an offering! That might help things.”

“Mileah has done all she can,” Seylah interrupted. “The High Spirits will decide in their own time without interference from any of us. Mileah will be chosen if Fate allows it. Now, eat your root.”

“But I-”

“Not another word until your plate is clear.”

“Yes, Mama.”

Once the meal was done, Mileah carefully cleared the table and washed the dishes, storing the remaining food in the cold room. Selyah took Mikea off to the library for lessons and Midea set off into the city to complete her duties.

As an appointed apprentice, she had many things required of her. It was a position of honour but it didn’t mean she could rest upon her success. She had to earn it and continue to prove she was worthy.

Her tutors required diligence to her lessons, an honoured study of the ancient writings, learning all she should of the plants she tended. She had to know the histories, the diaries, the learnings and observations of those that had taken her steps before her. 

She was also required to learn the traditions and disciplines of a High Priestess. If she ever wanted to ascend to the position, she had to prove worthy. Her place was not guaranteed. She could be removed from the Order as quickly as she had been given admittance. Her mother and sisters relied upon her place to keep their place in the city. Without it they would struggle to thrive.

Their city was a good place to live, their society more fair than others. Everyone was fed, everyone was given lodgings and clothing and basic educations. Everyone had a voice, no one was dismissed without reason.

But a higher standing was desirable, and one of the only ways to gain the higher standing was to join the Holy Order of the High Spirits of Fate.

A higher standing gave your voice more weight in the great halls, gave your presence more value, granted you and your loved one’s better quality of food and clothing, a luxury of living quarters.

When Midea had ascended to the Order and become an apprentice, her mother and sisters had been immediately moved to the beautiful house that they currently occupied. Wide windows and stained woods, intricate carvings and a cool room that never warmed. They each had their own sleeping room, each were granted privileges in the city, allowed the first choice of possible fruits and roots. 

If Mileah was granted a place, it would raise them even higher.

After her disciplines, Midea headed to the temple and spent the afternoon in careful communication with the High Spirits. She asked as respectfully as she could that they bless her sister, and they granted her more patience with her youngest sister. She asked for health for her mother, for more time with her.

As she did every time, she begged them to send them the bloom.

They needed it, more than the Elders and High Priestesses and even the High Midian could express. The young ones were losing their faith, most of them not even believing that the Blessed Ones existed.

But they did, Midea knew it, she felt it in every piece of her body and soul. They existed and would one day return. They would and the flower would bloom.

She knew it.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@  
The family had remained at Hogwarts for the weekend to give the authorities a chance to talk to those they needed to. No one wanted the investigation following them home, and Harry was too sore to travel anyway. Ron had arrived back at the suite Saturday afternoon, and the first thing he did was gather Harry into a long hug. Harry cuddled close to him for the rest of the day.

Magnus and Alec finally arrived to talk to Harry on Sunday morning, and Ron had been fast to volunteer to take Miri to play on the grounds. The others had followed him or found something else to do so Harry and Severus could say what needed to be said without an audience. Magnus and Alec had brought several other Shadowhunters with them, and a werewolf called Luke. 

By Tuesday, the family had recounted what they could remember and were sick of the whole subject. Harry especially wanted to drop it. He practically ran to the station to catch the train home with the rest of the students.

And now, something strange was happening with Harry and Severus couldn’t quite work out what it was.

In the two weeks since the events at Hogwarts, change had happened. There was no longer the black cloud hanging over them, no longer the need to look over their shoulders. Harry liked to walk Miri to the corner shop, picking up milk or bread, sometimes just a bag of crisps. He loved to take her to the park across the road. He’d even taken her as far as the local chip shop to get dinner one night. He was no longer afraid to step outside the front door. He wasn’t one to go off on huge trips all over the city, but he had the freedom now to make his own choices on how he wanted to live. 

The biggest change was that the mail was no longer checked before it was given to the recipient. It was what had tipped him off to the change in his lover. Harry was getting a lot of mail, and he was very secretive about it. It was something he didn’t want to share, and Severus respected that. It was perfectly normal for Harry to have something private, healthy even.

It was driving Severus crazy.

He was man enough to admit that the curiosity of what was in Harry’s mail was driving him completely neurotic. He’d taken to covertly trying to read through the parchment, and over Harry’s shoulder. 

Solarin was laughing at him.

“It’s not funny,” Severus hissed as Harry took his latest letter and Miri up to the playroom. “I am becoming completely obsessed.”

“Have you tried asking him what it’s about?” Bill asked.

“No, because that would make him a rational human being,” Sirius joked.

“Hush,” Remus scolded, though his lips twitched as he fought his smile. “It’s probably something silly. Perhaps he has a pen pal. Or he might be…well, I don’t know, but I wouldn’t worry.”

“I’m not worried,” Severus clarified. “This is not worry. Worry is a psychopath trying to take him, worry is knowing he’s missing and being unable to locate him. This is not worry. This is burning with curiosity. I don’t think he’s kept anything from me before, not since we married. It’s new, and I don’t like it.”

“We see that,” Solarin giggled, opening her own mail.

She’d spent four days at Hogwarts coming down from the massive amounts of power she’d used to stop Lucius and his friends. She still had a few episodes of crying blood, but she was very much improved.

Eventually, the family dispersed from breakfast to other activities, and Severus busied himself with washing up before he went to his lab. He spent a few hours working and then broke for lunch, where Harry was waiting.

His little lover’s bruises were almost completely gone, and he was mostly back to his happy self again. A little more jumpy, but nowhere near as bad as he had been when Severus had first rescued him. His nightmares had returned for a few nights, but they were mostly mild enough for Severus to soothe him without waking him, and he didn’t remember the dreams in the morning. He wasn’t clingy so long as he knew where Severus was, and no one touched him unexpectedly.

Ron had been a superstar with his friend in the days following what had happened. He distracted Miri with playing on the Quidditch pitch while Harry was talking to Aurors and officials, he sat quietly with Harry while he shook and cried, he held his hand when he took his first tentative steps outside alone, he played bodyguard between Harry and the masses that wanted to know what had happened; he made himself a literal wall between Harry and them.

Severus would never ever be able to express how very thankful he was for Ron in their lives. Having someone take some of the weight of Harry’s care was a wonderful relief, but to have someone that could actually make him smile, someone Harry trusted enough to take Miri out of his sight? That was worth everything.

Lunch was simple sandwiches and salads, and it was all very light and calm until an owl pecked at the window, wanting entry. Remus let him in and he swooped over the table, dropping his letter in the bowl of pasta salad before swooping out.

“For you, pup,” Sirius said, handing it over. 

Harry looked at the envelope and wiggled before tucking it away into a pocket.

“All right, that’s it,” Severus announced, abandoning his carrot stick. “I cannot take this anymore. Harry, what’s going on?”

“Going on?” Harry echoed. “What are you talking about?”

“The letters. Days now and letters keep coming, and you wiggled, wiggled! It’s making you happy and the curiosity is killing me.”

“Oh, that. I didn’t think it was a big deal. I can show them to you if you want.”

“You don’t have to show me. I just want to know if it’s something I should be aware of.”

“It’s my inheritance,” Harry said. “The first letter was from a law firm telling me that the final instructions in my parents wills was now fulfilled.” He smiled sheepishly. “I forgot that my letters don’t get opened anymore. I thought you all knew about it.”

Severus felt like a worm. “No, love, I didn’t. And I’m sorry. It is none of my business, it is your personal affairs and I shouldn’t pry.”

“You’re not. You were curious, and you keep telling me that curiosity is okay.”

“It is, pup,” Remus assured. “Nothing wrong with being curious. The best discoveries come from curiosity.”

“I didn’t know they had a will,” Sirius said. “Never knew James to be practical. He was more of a…fly by the seat of your pants kind of guy.”

“Oh, remember their wedding?” Remus said. “I thought Lily’s mum was going to skin him! He forgot all about the tux and turned up in robes.”

“He might have been like that, but he was always first to volunteer for baby duty,” Sirius said.

“He was?” Harry asked.

“Very. Always the first to feed you or change you. Seriously, the first week of your life none of us were allowed to even pick you up. I’m not even kidding. I tried, multiple times. Damn near ripped my arms off.”

“Oh, don’t exaggerate,” Remus scolded. “He was…territorial, that’s all. First baby, brand spanking new, he was allowed to be.”

“Well, he obviously put some thought into my future,” Harry said. “Turns out the vault I’ve been drawing from was a juvenile fund with a specific amount in it. There are five others, all full of money and jewellery and heirlooms. Did you know I have four chests full of antique wands?”

“Four?” Hermione echoed. “How are their four?”

“Apparently every Potter has their wand put into the vault when they die. Oh, and I have some very old books, a whole wall of them. And clothes and jewellery and did you know I own two shops in London and one in Hogsmeade?”

“We do now,” Ron said, peeling an orange for Joseph. “What are you going to do with it all?”

“Not a clue. I thought getting the goblins to make me some lists would help, so I asked them for that. After that, I have no idea what to do. And this is just the magical side of things. There’s a whole load of Muggle stuff too, banks and papers and stuff.”

“We can help,” Hermione said. “I’m not sure how, but we can.”

There was a round of agreement. The family finished lunch and disappeared to their own tasks again. Severus, rather than head back to his lab, followed Harry to the playroom where he had set up his crafting area.

He had his desk, and an armoire he had appropriated from the pile to be discarded from the attic. He’d had great fun one afternoon coating it in a rainbow of contact paper. The cabinet had unusually deep shelves, deep enough to hold very deep storage boxes which contained the larger pieces of Harry’s crafting stash. Paper and board, boxes of beads, containers of clay. Jars of brushes and pencils, pots of paint and glues, stacks of special papers.

His desk hutch had the supplies Harry deemed more special, the ones he loved more than the others. Certain pens, specific brushes, his favourite paint colours.

Potter the cat liked to lay on the top of the hutch, either watching Harry craft or sleeping, usually the latter. 

Harry liked to listen to Miri babble as he worked on his projects, keeping his eye on her while she played. She was pretty independent, she didn’t really need him to play with her, most of her games took place in her own imagination, but she did like to talk to him. Harry himself was happy to leave her to it and get on with his own projects, as long as he could watch over her. 

“Here,” Harry said, handing Severus a pile of parchment. “All the magical stuff. I have to go to the Muggle lawyer for the other stuff. See, this is the first one they sent me, and this is dads will, and this one is mums, and this is the first accounting of what I have.”

“Take a breath,” he chuckled, looking at the neat script. “Let me have a read through and then we’ll have a talk.”

Harry smiled and nodded, setting down to work on his latest project, which was something to do with lolly sticks and glue. Miri was happy to settle at her table and attack paper with crayons, Cauldron the kitten sitting on the table and watching, his little head bobbing up and down as he followed the movement of her hand.

Lily and James had provided very well for their son. Their wills stipulated that he would only receive his full inheritance on the date of his eighteenth birthday. As per the practices of Gringotts, the paperwork was being sent now to give Harry some idea of what was coming, and a chance to figure out what he wanted to do with some of his inheritance.

The money was substantial, in the same way royalty was wealthy. His combined value, if you added up all the coins in all the vaults, was more than the national debt of the entire western world, and that didn’t include the value of the antiques and property. Harry had enough money to buy himself a whole chain of private islands if he wished and still be loaded.

In addition, he also owned almost a dozen properties. The house in Godric’s Hollow, one in Hogsmeade, three in London, one in Glasgow, one each in Paris, New York and Rome, a villa in Tuscany and another in Spain. He also had the three shops he’d mentioned over lunch (all were standing empty), and a boarded up library in Camden. 

Harry even owned a pub, and a restaurant. 

“You own a Quidditch stadium?”

“Apparently.”

“Huh.”

The first list the goblins had prepared was an accounting of some of the heirlooms. The initial listing was chaotic, but there was a small note at the bottom indicating that a second listing would be made, one much more easy to read.

“I think I’m caught up,” Severus said an hour later. Dorian had wandered in with juice for himself and Miri and settled down to colour with her. “Harry, do you realise just how wealthy you are?”

“Not really.”

“My love, you have enough money to keep you going for the next thousand years with diamonds in your bathtub.”

“Oh. Severus, I don’t know how to do this. I never learned any of this,” Harry said, a mild panic in his eyes.

“Now, don’t worry. We shall deal with this. First things first, I think we should ask Bill to look over things, and to set up a meeting with a goblin or an advisor, I’m not sure who but Bill will know.”

“I did something,” Harry blurted. “I know it’s not mine until I’m eighteen, but I did find one thing that I knew what to do with.”

“It is yours, you just don’t have full access until your birthday,” Severus countered. “Harry, what is it you knew what to do with?”

“The land on the coast.”

“Ah, yes,” he said, flicking through the papers. “You mean the 2 acres in Cornwall. Well, it’s a fair size, though smaller than a piece of land usually is. What is it you wish to do with it?”

“I want…I could build something on it. Maybe a house.”

“A house. Harry, you have houses. Many houses.”

“I know, I do, but…I want to build one. I…look,” he babbled, pulling out a pile of drawings. 

The drawings were not technically accurate, but they were full of hope and wishes. It reminded Severus of a Roman villa, a circle of houses surrounding a central garden. Harry had labelled each house for the person or people he intended it for, and each label had their own separate drawing of what he envisioned their house to look like.

“These are very nice, love. But…I thought you didn’t want to leave your parents?”

“That’s why there’s all the houses and not just one. See?” He pointed to one of the houses. “That one is for Sirius and Remus.”

“Ah, I see.”

“I want a fresh start,” Harry said quietly, curling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. “I don’t want to live somewhere that my parents died, or a place some random relative I’ve never heard of decorated. I want something that’s me and you and our life together. Our home.”

“We can have that,” he said gently, tangling their fingers. “We might need a little help though.”

Harry giggled at him and Severus knew that this was a new chapter in their lives, one that didn’t include Lucius, and he couldn’t wait.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Remus was two floors away when he heard the scream, and he managed all the stairs between him and his daughter in 15 seconds flat and burst through the locked door.

Nixie was curled up on the toilet, and all thoughts of privacy went out of the window when he saw her sobbing.

“Oh, Nixie, sweetheart,” he moaned, kneeling before her and stroking her hair away from her tear-streaked face. “What’s wrong? What hurts?”

“I’m bleeding!” she shrieked. “I’m dying!”

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and cursed himself. And his husband. They should have talked to her about what being a woman truly entailed, but neither of them had thought of it. It completely failed to occur to them that she would have periods.

“Darling, where are you bleeding?” he asked, needing to be sure. “Was it there when you wiped?”

“Yes,” she whimpered.

“Nixie, calm down, you’re not dying.”

“I’m not?”

“No. This is your period, it’s perfectly normal.”

She fell suddenly silent and blinked at him, her big blue eyes bright from tears. “It’s…it is?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. So…I thought…”

“What? You thought what?”

“I thought it would be…different. Hurt. I mean, Harry screams.”

“I see. Harry’s are so painful because he’s half male and half female. His body is never quite sure what it’s doing. Hermione doesn’t scream when she has her period.”

“I don’t know when she has hers.”

“Exactly.” 

They were interrupted by a knock at the door, and Solarin poked her head around. “You seem a little upset in here,” she said. “Everything okay?”

“Yes, everything’s fine. But I think we need a woman to help. I’m rather lacking the right equipment and experience.”

“Oh. Oh! I see. Is this the first?” she asked as she eased herself in and Remus stood up.

“Yes. Sirius and I…we didn’t think, it never occurred to us. We never really talked about this.”

“Don’t worry,” she assured, rubbing his shoulder. “We’ll be fine.”

He left them to it and made his way down to the kitchen, where Anne and Sirius were making breakfast. He walked straight up to his husband and hugged him tightly.

“What’s up?” Sirius asked, stroking his hair.

“Nixie got her period.”

“Oh, fuck. I didn’t even think.”

“Me neither. Sol’s with her.”

“We’re terrible parents,” Sirius moaned and Anne snorted.

“Piffle,” she said. “You are wonderful parents. You weren’t to know what was coming, and you’re handling it now.”

“We should have talked with her before now,” Remus argued.

“Remus, darling, how were you to know she didn’t know? She has always asked for knowledge before. She didn’t ask for this knowledge, so you assumed she already had it. That doesn’t make you a bad parent, either of you.”

“You’re not bad parents,” Harry said as he entered, Miri in his arms with Smoo in hers. “You weren’t to know, and Sol is handling it. She came and asked for a pad from me, and she’ll take Nix to get some of her own later. It’s all handled. Now, stop beating yourself up. You do great as parents.”

“Listen to him, he knows what he’s talking about,” Severus agreed and the two of them let it drop. They might feel like failures but their children (well, child seeing as Nixie was still in the bathroom) felt they were doing okay.

Breakfast went as usual, and when Nixie joined them no one commented on her being late down. Until she made it clear how she wanted it handled, they would keep to themselves. She might be entirely open like Harry was or Solarin had been, when she had had periods, or she might be intensely private about the whole thing, the way Hermione was.

As the meal wound down and people were nibbling more than eating, Severus caught their attention.

“We’re moving out,” Harry said. He’d thought about it and he’d come up with no better way to tell them of his plans.

“What?” Sirius gasped. “No. Harry, pup, please, don’t do this.” He gasped in a shuddering breath. “I know things have been difficult, and I know what happened in the tower was horrific, but we can work things out, we can make them better.”

“Sirius, stop,” Harry begged. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“You misunderstand,” Severus said with a small smile. “When he said we, he did mean all of us, you included.”

“I’m going to have a set of houses built,” Harry said, laying his rough drawings on the table for them to see. “I want us to all live together, I don’t want to be away from any of you. But I want out of this house. And Sirius, I know you hate this house. We can have a fresh start.”

Sirius gaped at him for a moment before he threw himself out of his seat and rounded the table, sweeping Harry up into a rib crunching hug.

“Sorry,” Harry whispered. “I’m sorry you got scared that I was leaving, I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m not leaving.”

He nodded against Harry’s hair and eventually let him go.

“Not that I’m trying to tell you how to spend your money,” Anne said cautiously. “But I understood that you already have a house, many houses in fact.”

“But they were someone else’s house, rooms that someone else decorated. I want somewhere that’s mine, just mine,” Harry said. “I thought I might sell the others, or maybe rent them out. I…I want to give one to Molly,” he whispered.

It was Bill that looked murderous. “After what she did? Harry, you don’t have to do anything for her. What you went through, the part she played in all that…she doesn’t deserve your generosity.”

“Bill, she’s still your mum,” Solarin pointed out.

“No, just no. My mum wouldn’t let a little boy suffer. He’s the same age as Ronnie, and she let people hurt him, beat him down. She so blindly followed that bastard, and Harry paid the price for that.”

“Stop it,” Arthur snapped. “I’m sure we’ve all had enough discussion on what Molly did or didn’t do. I don’t want to discuss this again.”

“Dad…”

“No. No more talk of this at the breakfast table. It is Harry’s choice what he does with his inheritance.”

“These drawings are very good, pup,” Remus said, redirecting the conversation. Harry looked so ashamed of himself and Remus couldn’t stand it. “So, this one would be ours, mine and Sirius’?”

“Yeah. That one’s yours, and that one is mine. I want all of them to open onto the garden, so we can all still be together.”

“The problem is, Harry doesn’t know quite where to start,” Severus offered. “He has the ideas but not the know-how. I was hoping you could perhaps help him? And Bill, if you could offer a hand getting his inheritance in order?”

“Sure, not a problem,” the redhead agreed. “It’s not my specialist area, but I know enough to get you started. And once I’m done, I know a few advisors at the bank that can help.”

Harry smiled and nodded before Remus really made his morning bright.

“My uncle owns a construction firm. Technically he’s a carpenter, but he has dozens of people in his employ,” the werewolf informed. “He actually helped me put in this kitchen, set me on the right path and such. It was pretty interesting as it happens. He couldn’t come here so I’d go to him with questions and he’d tell me what to do and what to buy and that sort of thing. I’m almost certain he’ll be able to help refine these drawings into some sort of…plan type thing. What’s it called?”

“Blueprint?” Hermione offered.

“That’s it! Thank you. Yes, a blueprint. I’m not sure how it goes, but I can take you to meet Uncle Mike today if you like.”

“Wait,” Ron said. “We’re all magical. Your uncle…is he Muggle?”

“Didn’t even think of that,” Remus admitted.

“Can’t I have it built the Muggle way and then have it spelled?” Harry asked. “Is that a thing?”

“I don’t see why not,” Sirius said.

“There are a few specialists at the Ministry,” Arthur supplied. “I could take you to see them.”

Harry chewed at his lip and looked at Severus. It was new, his reluctance around wizards. He wasn’t having the same problem with Muggles, and it made Severus wonder if Harry was reacting to what Lucius had done to him. It wasn’t a Muggle that had raped him after all.

“How about I go with Arthur to the Ministry, and you can go out with Remus?” Severus suggested, rubbing the back of Harry’s hand with his thumb. “You could take Miri, have some lunch out. Have some fun, love. You are allowed, just like anyone else.”

“Would that be okay?” Harry asked, wiping at Miri’s mouth where she’d smeared yogurt.

“Of course,” Severus assured. “You’ll be with Remus, you’ll be perfectly safe, and you’re only going to talk to Mike. No decisions need to be made today, you’re just talking.”

Harry smiled and tickled Miri under the chin.

“What do you think, baby? Want to come with me and Grandpa Remus to see Mike?”

“Daddy come too?”

“No, sweetheart,” Severus said. “I’m going to see a Wizard with Arthur.”

“Daddy no come,” she said sadly.

“Do you want to go with Daddy?” Harry offered. “You can go with Daddy instead.”

“No, go with Caya,” she said after giving it some thought.

“Okay, but you need to be good. We’ll be around Muggles,” he warned and she nodded. 

“A good, no look.”

They all separated to get ready and then Severus cuddled Harry close, reassuring him that it would all be fine. It was partly for himself, a promise that Harry would be fine without him for a few hours, that Remus would take care of him. Miri he had no worries about. He knew Harry would die to protect her, and his young husband was perfectly capable of parenting without him.

Personally, he thought Harry was a better parent than he was, but he knew Harry would vehemently disagree.

They walked together as far as the bus stop, and then Severus allowed himself one more goodbye for Harry and Miri before he let Arthur drag him away.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Harry waited patiently for the bus with Remus, singing songs with Miri. The bus pulled up and he carefully swiped the Oyster card Hermione had helped him buy a few days before.

He hadn’t planned on when to use it, hadn’t considered when he would go somewhere needing public transport, but he had wanted one. To Harry, it was more than a simple plastic card that allowed use of public transport. 

It was freedom. 

He could go where he wanted, when he wanted, with only his own decisions to guide him. He had his wallet and his Oyster and that was all he needed to go wherever he desired. If he wanted to take Miri to the zoo or the seaside or just to the shops, it was his choice.

Harry was careful to park the pushchair in the space Remus pointed out and position it so Miri could watch the world go past through the glass exit doors. The bus was fairly empty. One little old lady sitting near the front, a few older teens upstairs making a racket. Just to be safe, Remus cast a privacy spell so no one could eavesdrop.

“That’s new,” Remus commented as they went past a bagel shop. “Wonder how long it’ll last.”

“Why wouldn’t it?” Harry asked, handing Miri her water bottle.

“Tank ‘ooo,” she said, jamming it in her mouth.

“Something about the area,” Remus said. “The shops around here never seem to last very long. And then there are the old faithful ones, the shops that last long past when they should because their customers are loyal.”

“What category do Fred and George fit into?”

“I think they’ll outstrip Zonko’s soon enough,” he said honestly. “They’ve got real talent for creating innovative products. Zonko’s, for all its name means, is woefully lagging. Their products haven’t really changed since I was a boy. For growth and success a business like that needs to be constantly moving forward, constantly updating and inventing. They don’t.”

“I want to give one of my shops to Fred and George, but I don’t know if they’ll be offended or not,” Harry admitted.

“Why would they be offended?”

“Because I gave them their start-up money,” he said quietly. “It was my Tri-Wizard winnings.”

“Harry, that was a lot of money.”

“I know, I know it was. And I knew it then. But I didn’t want it and no one else would take it! I tried to give it to Cedric’s parents, and to Molly, but they wouldn’t take it. I tried to give it back to Dumbledore but he said I’d earned it. And then there was Fred and George. They needed the money towards the business. It seemed perfect.”

Remus looped an arm around him and hugged him, pressing a kiss to his messy hair. 

“That was wonderfully kind, pup. You have such a big heart.”

“They’re my friends,” Harry said with a shrug.

“And I think that’s what you should say when you offer them one of your shops. That they’re your friends and you want them to have it. That it’s important to you that they take it.”

“Think it’ll work?”

“Yes, I do. Have you given any more thought to any of the other properties?”

“Some. I know Sol wanted to open a bakery, so she could have one of them.”

“That takes care of the two in London. Are they both in the Alley?”

“Yes. One near the bank, the other near Flourish.”

“I think Sol might like the one near the bank. Close to Bill.”

“I thought so. I don’t know what to do with the one in Hogsmeade. I’ll think about it some more.” He chewed on his lower lip for a moment. “Was Bill really angry about me wanting to help Molly?”

“Oh, he wasn’t angry at you,” he soothed. “He’s upset about the whole situation. You’re important to Bill, you know. To all the Weasley’s for that matter. Molly isn’t the only one who sees you as a black haired Weasley. They all think of you as one of them, and for them to think that their mother didn’t help when you needed it? Well, it doesn’t sit well with any of them.”

“Should I not give it to her?”

“That’s up to you, not Bill. If you want to, then do it. It’s your inheritance, you can do what you please with it.”

Harry wrapped his arms around Remus’ waist and squeezed.

“Love you,” he whispered and Remus smiled.

“I love you too, pup. Very much.” He glanced out of the window. “Next stop.”

“Gampa,” Miri said seriously. “Birdie.”

He looked where she was pointing and chuckled. “I see,” he said at the mass of pigeons pecking at someone’s dropped midmorning snack. “Lots of birdies.”

“Hasin’ lunch,” she said determinedly as she was wheeled off the bus. She squealed as the birds scattered before her, her curls blowing in the breeze caused by their flapping.

They passed an internet café, a few sandwich shops, little off-licences and newsagents, a school and a bakery before Remus steered him towards a house under construction. 

“Excuse me, I’m looking for Michael Stover,” Remus said to the closest builder.

“Office, mate. ‘Ere, can’t take the baby on site,” he said, his east-end accent strong.

“Oh,” Harry said. “Of course. I didn’t even think. Um. Okay, we’ll go to that café over there,” he said, pointing. “We’ll get a drink or something.”

“You sure?” Remus checked.

“Yeah. It’s right there. We’ll sit outside, so we can see you. Won’t we, baby?” he assured, stroking her hair.

“See soon! Bye bye!”

They laughed at her and Harry made his way to the chosen café. It was a greasy spoon, filled with builders and shoppers chatting over fried breakfasts and cups of tea. No one really paid attention to him, aside from casting an eye over Miri to see how cute she was and then to him to take note of how young he was.

They clocked his wedding ring and smiled. Apparently it was still important even on a council estate like this one. He found a table outside and gave Miri the laminated kids menu to play with.

“Caya, me has?”

“Yeah, baby, you can have something. What do you want to have?”

She handed him the kids menu and pointed at the candyfloss pink one, which turned out to be the drinks menu. She was constantly surprising him with all the things she picked up on. She had noticed it was for drinks long before he had. He dutifully swapped them for her and smiled to himself as her tiny finger moved across the laminate, reading it to herself. Every now and then she would sound something out to herself before smiling when she realised she knew that word.

She was getting so good with her reading, and it made Harry tear up most of the time. His tiny baby girl was reading, actually reading, at 14 months old. He was fairly certain not a lot of parents could say that.

“Caya, a millshay?”

“Milkshake?”

“Yes, pease.”

“Okay, baby. Which one? They have…chocolate, strawberry and banana.”

“Stawbey!”

“Okay. Want to come with me and order?”

She nodded and he unstrapped her, holding her hands as she climbed out and stood dutifully by his seat while he swung the baby bag onto his shoulder. It had his wallet in it, he wasn’t about to leave it outside. She took his hand and walked with him to the counter, where he picked her up and she giggled as she watched the milkshakes being made.

It amused him no end that all these big hard builders kept smiling and playing peek-a-boo with her, chuckling to themselves at her pink boots. She was a complete flirt, smiling and waving at all the men, amusing herself by lavishing in all the attention.

“Gampa!”

Harry peeked over his shoulder to see Remus smiling at them as he approached. Waiting outside for them with the buggy was a blond man. He was quite tall, and well built, somewhere near Anne and Jack’s age, and his arms were covered in tattoo sleeves. He was, surprisingly, in fancy trousers and a button down shirt with short sleeves.

“Is that your uncle?”

“Yes, that’s Mike. He’s only got a short break for us, only ten minutes or so, so he can only give the basics.”

“Not a problem. It’s all I really wanted.”

“Harry, I forgot completely. He met James and Lily when we were young,” Remus said with a regretful look. “They used to come and stay when we were at school.”

“Oh. Well, it’s not like I can hide my face or eyes, is it? He seems nice enough, from what you’ve said about him. I’m sure it’ll be okay.” He hefted Miri a little higher. “It will be okay, right?”

“Oh, pup, it’ll be fine. Mike’s a good egg, you’ll like him, everyone does. I’ve told him you’re a little nervous. It’ll be fine.”

“Millshay!”

They chuckled as Miri accepted the cardboard cup with a straw and carefully said thank you.

“Very welcome,” said the woman behind the counter. “She’s lovely! Such a nice little girl. How old?”

“Fourteen months,” Harry said proudly.

“Such a clever little girl!”

“Thank you,” Remus said, incredibly proud of his son and granddaughter.

Remus ordered two teas in takeaway cups and then they joined Mike outside. Miri walked slowly, holding Harry’s hand, hugging her prize to her chest, and then gave it to Remus to hold while she climbed back into her buggy to drink it.

“Nice?” Harry asked.

“Nummy!” she declared and held it out to him. “Caya bit?”

Harry took a sip and hummed. “Very nice. Want to try mine?” She nodded and he let her sip at his chocolate shake.

“Nice,” she declared, before happily setting in to watch the people go by.

“Bloody hell,” Mike said finally. “I know you said, but…”

“Yes, I know,” Remus said. “Harry, this is my Uncle Mike. Mike, this is Harry, and this is Miri.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Mike said, nodding across the table at him. “Sorry, but you really do look like James.”

“It’s okay, I get it all the time. Mum’s eyes. Miri has the eyes too.”

“Yeah.” He watched the baby for a few moments before he came back to himself. “Remus tells me you need some advice on having a house built.”

“I do. I come into my full inheritance on my birthday, and there’s some land in that, and I wanted to build a bunch of houses on it.”

“So we’re talking a major build. Did you have any idea of how many houses, how big, any features you really like?”

Harry’s eyes went round as he realised how much he didn’t know.

“That’s okay, it’s okay,” Mike assured. “It’s not as hard as it sounds. These things take time, more time than most people think. Nothing needs to be rushed. First thing you need is to figure out how many houses. Once you’ve got that, rough out a plan for what you need and want from each house. Number of bedrooms, bathrooms, those sort of things. Those are basics. Then you can get creative. Maybe a playroom, or a home office. Maybe a home spa. Perhaps a fireplace in every room or a glass roof or something else entirely. Get yourself some home magazines and get some ideas.”

Harry had grabbed a notebook and pen and was noting it all down.

“So Harry could really have anything he wanted?” Remus asked.

“Absolutely. It’s your house, your money. This is where you’re going to live and raise that little lady. You should have exactly what you want.”

Mike started ringing and he dug into his pocket before pulling out his phone. A few short sentences later and he was grimacing. 

“Sorry, lads, but that was my head spark. I’ve got to get back to it. Like I said, take some time and gather some ideas of what you want. I’m here whenever you need me for advice and such, and I’m always available for lunch with my favourite nephew.”

“I’m your only nephew,” Remus pointed out.

“And my favourite,” he said with a grin. 

He stood up and hugged Remus before chucking Miri under the chin and offering Harry a smile. He was already on his phone again before he’d gotten a half dozen steps from them.

“Happy with that?” Remus asked. “Enough to get you started?”

“Yeah, I think so. We can get some magazines before we go home.”

“Absolutely. Well, that took a fair bit less than I thought it would. Where do you want to go now?”

“I don’t know. I hadn’t really planned on more than this,” he admitted.

Remus settled back in his chair and teased Miri with her doll. It was new, one Remus didn’t recognise.

It was soft, with wild black and blue hair and green sewn eyes. It was dressed in a little smock top and leggings with little felt shoes.

“Where did this one come from?” he asked, holding it and running his hand over her yarn hair. “She’s very well made.”

“I made her,” Harry said. “It was a pattern in one of the books at home in the library. A Waldorf doll. Looked easy enough. And when I was done, Miri claimed her.”

“Harry, this is very good work,” he said firmly. “Good enough to sell.”

“It’s just a little thing,” he said, face burning.

“Harry, I’m serious. People would buy these. And other things, you could make other toys,” he argued, getting excited. “Listen, you love making things, it makes you happy. And selling these could bring happiness to others. One of the shops, you could open it as a toy shop, selling only handmade toys.”

“Who would buy them?”

“All sorts! Grandparents, parents, kids with their pocket money. Schools, playcentres. Make them cute enough and even adults would want to collect them.”

“But how would I know if they wanted them because they’re good, or because they’re mine?”

“You don’t tell them you made it,” Remus said. “One of us could man the shop, maybe…I don’t know. One of us. You could do it, if you wanted to.”

“I don’t know. I hadn’t ever thought of what to do with all my stuff that I make. I was just making it. I like making it all. It’s soothing, making things.”

“And that’s a good thing. You should have things you enjoy doing.”

“Caya.”

“What’s up, buttercup?” Harry said and she giggled.

“Need a potty.”

“Okay, give your milkshake to grandpa,” he directed and she dutifully handed it over before following him to the toilet.

Maybe Miri was ready for full potty training. She was mostly dry through the night, and she was starting to tell them when she needed to go. Mostly she was dry through the day now, telling them in time to go to the bathroom, or at least she had been for the last 4 days. Maybe she was ready. Like most other things, she would be earlier than other babies, but that was just who she was.

Harry lifted her so she could wash her hands and then straightened her dungarees shorts before they joined Remus once more.

“Why don’t we go shopping?” Remus suggested as Miri retrieved her drink. She stood by his chair and leaned against his knees, watching the cars go past. “There’s a bookshop not far. And then on to the Alley. You still need a new…tool.”

Harry grinned as Remus caught himself. 

“Sounds like a plan.”

Miri wanted to walk, so Remus took control of the buggy and Harry held her hand. He was obsessive in keeping her far from the road, and making sure no one walked into her. She’d surrendered her milkshake before they started off, and was happy to babble away at them.

“What do you think Sirius and Nixie are up to?” Harry asked.

“She’s probably playing with his hair.”

“Well, his is glorious. Puts the rest of us to shame.”

Miri joined in with their giggles, and then happily let Harry guide her into the bookshop. 

It wasn’t like any muggle bookshop Harry had been in before. Not that he had much experience visiting Muggle bookshops, or any Muggle shops in general. Vernon and Petunia hadn’t wanted Harry going anywhere he could be seen by ‘decent’ people.

It was a regular size, there wasn’t anything strange about the building. But it was cool and quiet, empty of other customers, filled with shelves that tilted at strange angles, soft squashy chairs were scattered here and there, and there was the smell of old books and dust. There were toys tucked in the shelves, and Harry realised there was an order to it. The cookery section had a stuffed elephant in an apron, the DIY had a Barbie with a wrench.

The floor was painted with a huge map, but it wasn’t a map of their world, or the Wizarding world. The countries were different types of literature, the cities a map of different books, rivers of quotes in blue and mountains of passages from texts.

Hanging from the ceiling were different flying characters from books. Dragons and witches and talking birds, angels and fairies and butterflies that talked.

“Remus? Bloody hell, look at you! All grown up!”

“Hello, Charles,” Remus said, hugging the man. 

He was tall, slim, with skin the colour of good coffee, about Anne’s age, and greeted Remus like an old friend.

“Been a while,” Charles said.

“Yes, quite. I moved away, but I came to see Mike and had some time, so I thought a visit was in order. Charles, this is my son, Harry, and my granddaughter, Miri.”

“Nice to meet you,” he said, shaking Harry’s hand and crouching down to shake Miri’s.

“Hi!” she said cheerfully.

“Miss Miri here is a very enthusiastic reader, and Harry is absolutely starving for new reading material. I was hoping you could help them with that,” Remus said.

“Absolutely,” he said. His smile was warm and gentle, and Harry liked him immediately. “I’ve been dishing up new reads to Remus here since he was a boy. And now to help his son and granddaughter is a real pleasure for me. Would you like some help picking something out, or are you happy to browse?”

“Browse, I think,” Harry said.

“Browse away. Come on, Remus, let’s catch up while these two amuse themselves.”

The two men settled at the counter, chatting away, and Harry led Miri over to the kids section. 

“Here you go, sweetheart,” he said, crouching down. “You have a look at these, and I’m going to see if I can find something for me. Okay?”

“Okay,” she said, already entranced by all the books around her. She patted him on the head and moved away to where there was soft green carpet and the shelves were painted to look like trees, and a group of teddy bears were having a picnic. She pulled a book off the shelf and plopped down on her butt to read.

He didn’t know if she understood that they were going to buy some books, or if she just wanted to read but it was fine either way. He’d already spotted a fairy-tale collection he wanted to get for her.

Harry made his way around the store, pulling out this book and that. He didn’t intend to buy very many, but the shop was so quiet and peaceful it was easy to get lost in it all. A few cookery books, one on actual meals but the other four were just baking. A few colouring books of flowers and intricate vines, little birds and creatures. A few story books, things he’d missed, young adult novels, series he could luxuriate on. Reference books were a big draw, encyclopaedia’s, dictionaries and thesauruses.

The big section for Harry was the craft section. Books on sewing, drawing, knitting, papercutting, woodworking, toymaking, all of it joined his pile. There was so much he wanted to know about, so much he wanted to learn and make.

“Come on, pup,” Remus chuckled. “Give me these and I’ll take them to the counter, and you can look at some more.”

“Oh.” He peered at the stack Remus had taken from him. It hadn’t seemed that much when he was holding it. “It’s…it’s a lot. A lot of books. Maybe it’s…too many?”

“Nonsense,” he assured. “It’s your money, you can spend it on what you like. Do you want these?”

“Yes, I want them.”

“Then that’s that. I’ll take these over, and you can keep looking.” Harry still looked unsure so Remus perched the books on a low bookshelf that had a display of bookmarks. “Harry, listen to me,” he ordered, holding him by the biceps. “Had you been raised by James and Lily, or Sirius and I, or anyone that cared about you, then you would have had all the books and crafts you wanted. But because of Dumbledore, you were stuck with those bastards. You have as much right to the knowledge in those books as everyone else. It is your choice what to buy and what to learn, and that is your right.”

“They’re expensive,” he whispered.

“Yes, but you are a very wealthy boy.”

“I…”

“They told you that you weren’t worth any money spent on you?” Harry nodded and Remus pulled him in, hugging him tight.

“Harry, they were wrong,” he whispered firmly. “How much did they spend on that son of theirs? And never spending anything more than the absolute bare minimum on you? It wasn’t fair, and it wasn’t right. You deserve nice things, you deserve your own clothes, you deserve fucking books to read!”

Harry nodded while burying his face in Remus’ shoulder to hide his tears. The werewolf was right, he hadn’t done anything to the Dursley’s and they had still treated him like crap. Dudley’s clothes, the free NHS glasses, the leftovers from their meals. They hadn’t spent anything on him if they could help it.

So why shouldn’t he have craft books? Why shouldn’t he spend his money on things that made him happy?

“Okay. I think I’m almost done anyway,” Harry said eventually. Remus pressed a kiss to his hair and gathered the pile.

Harry scanned the remaining shelves he wanted to look at and picked out a few more books. He dropped them off with Remus before he returned to Miri.

“Hi, baby. Found some books you like?”

“A like!” she cried. She had four, and Harry picked out the fairy-tale book he’d spotted. 

“Good. Come on. We’ll go pay and then go find another shop to look at.”

She happily staggered over to Remus with her little pile and handed it over with a giggle. Harry also added a few books that clipped onto a pram to the pile.

“Not kidding about the reading addiction,” Charles joked as he rang up the total. Remus had already bought himself some new novels and hung his bag on the handle of the pram.

Harry, in a bid to save his sanity, handed Remus his wallet and focussed on strapping Miri into the pram. If he couldn’t see how much he’d spent, he couldn’t panic about it and try to put everything back. Remus was right, he was allowed to have nice things that made him happy. He just wasn’t quite comfortable with actually seeing how much those things cost yet.

“That was fun,” Remus said. “On to the Alley?”

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

They made their way on the bus to the Leaky Cauldron, and managed to get through fairly quickly considering Harry’s fame. 

They took a wander around the shops, buying small magical supplies they were running low on, before they entered Ollivander’s. 

As usual, it was cool and dark, magic tickling over them as they entered. Miri immediately whined and reached for Harry.

“It’s okay, baby,” he soothed, cuddling her close. 

“No!” she demanded. “Itchy!”

“Ah, there she is.”

“Mr Ollivander,” Remus said. 

“Mr Lupin, how wonderful to see you again. Garrick, please. Now, if I recall…ah yes. Cherry wood, thirteen and a quarter inch, unicorn tail hair and the tip of a thestral feather. Perfect for Defence Against the Dark Arts. Light for the most part, very sweet, with the slightest tickle of darkness. The perfect wand for a sweet little werewolf.”

“The very one,” he agreed, producing it for Ollivander to look at. He took it and weighed it in his hands, turning it this way and that.

“Very nice. You’ve taken good care of it.”

“And it’s served me well.”

He handed it back and Remus slipped it into its wrist holster. His eyes twinkled as he looked at Miri, who was burrowing into Harry’s neck.

“I see she’s feeling my shop, just as she should,” he said with a small smile. “Perfect little Augur.”

“I’m sorry, she’s never done this before,” Harry said. 

“Perfectly alright. She’s not the first to act like this. I remember little Solarin practically climbing into Severus’ coat when he brought her in.”

“Daddy?” Miri asked.

“Yes, I know your daddy,” he said as her bright green eyes peeked out at him. “He brought Solarin to me when she was a little girl. I made her wand.”

“Aunt Sin wand?”

“Yes. And your daddy, I made his too.”

“And mine,” Remus said. “And Grandpa Sirius. All our family has come here, and Mr Ollivander has made wands for us.”

“And now I will make one for you.”

“For Miri?” Harry asked as she reached out to Remus. He swung her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “She’s too young for a wand.”

“Yes, but an Augur needs a specially made wand. The adjustments mean it’ll take years to construct one for her. Didn’t he tell you all this?”

“Who?” Remus asked. “Who was supposed to tell us?”

“Albus, of course. I told him I needed you to bring the little one in to make some selections.”

“Garrick, don’t you read the papers? Hear the gossips?”

“I neither read those rags nor listen to that swill.”

“Dumbledore is in prison,” Harry said. “He didn’t tell me anything. I came to get a new wand, mine got broken. Wait. Can you fix mine?”

“Oh dear. In prison? Since when? For what? Oh, never mind. I’ll take a trip up to the Cauldron, talk to Tom over a drink. You came for wands, not to inform me of others misdeeds. Let me see this broken wand.”

Harry dug through the baby bag for it. He still carried it around with him, usually in his pocket, even though it was in pieces. He felt better having it with him.

Ollivander hissed as it was handed to him. “What a tragedy,” he moaned. “I’m afraid, as it is in pieces, I can do nothing. I am afraid you will need a new one.”

“You’re sure you can’t fix it?” Harry asked. He was rather fond of his wand.

“I am sorry, but there is nothing I can do.”

Harry pouted.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Severus followed the locator spell to Diagon Alley. 

It had been a rather successful meeting. His briefcase contained all the relevant paperwork and pamphlets, everything Harry needed to know to get started. Seeing as they were having the properties built, it would be best to have a number of charms set into the foundations, to anchor the magic. It could be explained away to the muggle builders as superstition. If they were moving into somewhere already built, the charms and enchantments were more complicated.

They weren’t the first wizards to live in the muggle world, they wouldn’t be the last.

Arthur had left him to go to work and Severus had decided to track Harry and Remus down. He had half expected them to be at home, but a locator had shown them to be in the Alley. Tom was happy to direct him towards Ollivander’s.

“Daddy!”

“Hello, sweetheart,” he said, scooping her up and pressing a kiss to her cheek before accepting Harry into his free arm and accepting his kiss.

“Mr Snape, how nice to see you again,” Ollivander said. “Let me think. Willow, thirteen and a half inches, unicorn tail, yes?”

“The very same,” he said, pulling it out. Miri pointed at it.

“Daddy wand.”

“Yes. Mr Ollivander made it for me when I was just a small boy. And later, he was kind enough to resin it for me.”

“Resin?” Harry asked.

“Common practice for those who work with potions as a career is to have the wand coated in a few very thin layers of resin. For Severus, I applied four layers,” Garrick said. “It prevents warping from the heat and stops things sinking into the wood, potentially damaging the wand. It’s not usually needed, but for a Potions Master, it is highly advantageous.”

“Yes, very practical. Now. Are you able to repair Harry’s wand?”

“I’m afraid not, he’ll need a new one.”

“I am sorry, love,” Severus said, hugging Harry closer. “But we will get you the perfect wand.”

“I know. I’m just going to miss this one,” he said sadly, carefully wrapping the pieces in a handkerchief and stowing it in the nappy bag. “Mr Ollivander wants to start on Miri’s wand too.”

“Of course, I completely forgot,” he said, smiling at the baby. “A special wand for a special little girl.”

“Me wand!”

“Let’s do Miri’s wand first, and then she can have her nap in the pram while I do mine, and then lunch,” Harry said.

Severus set her back on her feet and she happily followed Ollivander, looking back at her parents to make sure they were with her. Harry, Severus and Remus trailed the wandmaker and the baby to the back room of the store.

It was huge and busy, stuffed to the rafters with pieces of wood, jars of ingredients, bundles of feathers. Long unicorn horns, coiled rope of dragon heartstrings, feathers from the different phoenixes that had allowed Garrick to have them. 

There were other feathers too. Raven, crow, magpie. Peacock, pigeon, hippogriff. Whiskers and fur from at least a dozen animals, and a selection of different claws and scales.

“Welcome to my workshop,” Garrick said. “In here, I make wands and occasionally experiment with different combinations.”

“Caya, lots and lots and lots!”

“I see.” He looked at Ollivander. “What do you need first?”

“I simply need the little one to pick out a wood today.” He motioned to the large stack of wood samples. “She just needs to pick the one that feels the best to her.”

Harry took Miri’s hand and led her to the pile. “What do you think, baby?” he asked gently, squatting down. “Are these nice?”

“From trees,” she said, leaning back against him.

“That’s right, that’s where these have come from. From all different kinds of trees. And Mr Ollivander makes wands out of these.” He reached out and stroked careful fingertips over the stack. He could feel a slight tingle, just enough to let him be sure that these would all be wands some day.

Miri was happy enough to copy him, which was how she’d learnt most magical things. She stroked the wood and poked at it, and then, when no one told her no, started picking them up. They were a little too big to be comfortable in her hands, but she was happy enough to clumsily start building with them. 

The other three men talked amongst themselves as Harry murmured quietly to her, helping her move this piece and that, until he noticed she kept going for one piece in particular. It was longer than she was tall, and about an inch thick.

“Miri, do you like this one?” he asked, jiggling the end of it.

“Is good.”

“Is this one going to be your wand?”

“Yes. This one.”

“Okay, take it to daddy then.”

She toddled over, staggering with her thin branch, and Severus took it with a smile. He handed it over to Ollivander before he scooped her up, where she promptly buried her face in his neck and yawned.

“Someone’s ready for her nap,” he said.

“She’s had a busy day,” Remus said.

“This is a good choice,” Ollivander said. “Willow, good for those who are creative, intelligent and observant. It is good for regeneration and emotional balance, and very flexible. It’ll take me a good long time to tool this one for her.”

He set it on his workbench and plucked up a box of crystals. He held it out to Miri, who was sucking her thumb and looking around with sleepy eyes.

“Which one is best, little one?”

She moaned and snuggled into Severus, who patted her back and pressed a kiss to her curls. Eventually she reached out and poked at the pretty stones, picking up this one and that before eventually holding one up.

“Ish un,” she mumbled around her thumb.

“Thank you. That’s it now, little one. You’ve been so helpful to me. You can have your nap now.”

She snuggled into Severus and tangled her free hand in his hair, stroking the silky strands as she blinked at them. He swayed in place, humming quietly, and after only a few moments, her eyes stayed shut and Severus carefully settled her into her pram.

Harry, who had been putting the pieces of wand wood back, settled her doll beside her and her blanket over her, stroking her curls before facing the wand maker.

“Mine now?” he asked.

Ollivander nodded and motioned them to the front of the shop, where he proceeded to pull random boxes off the shelves. Harry tried wand after wand, each of them wrong. He could feel it, that there was something strained about them, something that didn’t quite fit. 

“A second wand is always troublesome,” Ollivander said as Harry discarded another wand. “Always more difficult.”

“But…I will find one…right?” Harry worried.

“Oh yes, of course. Not to worry. Try this one.”

It took a long time, long enough for Miri to wake up wet, Severus to change her and then go back to sleep for another hour.

“Daddy? Caya wand?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.

“Not yet. But we will.”

“Lunch?”

“Maybe you should take her to eat,” Harry suggested.

“Another ten minutes, and if you’re still looking, then I’ll take her,” Severus agreed.

As it turned out, Harry only needed seven minutes to find the right one. He knew, as soon as he picked it up, that it was the one.

“Very nice,” Ollivander said as Harry lowered the cash register back to the counter. “Very rare too. A rosewood wand with a unicorn tail hair, a rather short eight inches, but very sturdy.”

“I’ve never heard of a rosewood wand,” Remus said.

“Yes, well, as I said, they’re very rare. I myself hardly ever use it. I find it’s hard to work with. But the scent will linger for many years to come.”

“Fleur has rosewood,” Harry said. “But hers isn’t from here.”

“No, not one of mine. I never use hair from a Veela. Much to volatile. But unicorn tail…a nice steady core. Rosewood is often associated with love and purity, and is completely incompatible with Dark magic, so it won’t let you cast anything dark.”

“And the core?” Remus asked.

“Unicorn hair produces the most consistent magic. Perhaps not the most powerful but the most dependable. Extremely faithful, but must be treated well or the wand can be prone to melancholy. A nice new wrist holster and regular maintenance should suffice.”

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Solarin found Remus sitting alone in the library, nose in a book with his feet propped on a second armchair.

“Haven’t you read all the books already?” she teased as she joined him.

“Nothing wrong with getting lost in a good book.” He smiled at her as he placed his bookmark. She noticed he was reading the Augur book. 

“Can you actually read it?”

“Some of it. My knowledge of languages is far greater than Hermione’s, and she was getting awfully frustrated with it. She’s in the garden with the children.”

“I know, I’ve left mine there with Charlie. He’s got a day off and Dorian loves using him as a climbing frame.”

“The purpose of good uncles,” he smiled. “Is there…something on your mind?”

“I had a question, about my abilities. I figured you could probably guess even if you don’t know.”

“Of course,” he said, “You know you can always come to me. What’s on your mind?”

“You remember the other day, when Neville and Luna came to visit, and Neville disappeared?” He nodded. “He came and found me while I was putting Daven down for her nap. He wanted to know…well, he asked me about his parents. They’re in St Mungo’s, and he wondered if there was anything that could be done for them. If…I could do anything.”

Remus stared at her before taking a deep breath.

“Well…that’s…well.”

“Exactly. I told him I didn’t know.”

“I think the first port of call would be to know exactly what she did to them. If it was just Bellatrix that hurt them, what spells she used, the duration of each.”

“I know all that,” she whispered.

“Of course you’d think of it, I’m just musing aloud,” he said with a smile and she shook her head.

“No. I mean, I know what she did. I know all of it.”

“What? Sol…how…how on earth do you know that?”

“That night, in the tower. When I…all those memories. I keep them, the ones I send. I got all of them, Bellatrix, Lucius and Fenrir. I balled it all up and shoved it all into their heads. Three peoples memories aren’t supposed to be shoved into one mind in a single push. That’s what happened to them.”

“How do you hold all of that?” he breathed.

“I don’t really. It’s hard to explain. They’re there, in my head, but they’re not all to the forefront. It’s like…they’re shoved in a box in the back. If my mind were a house, other peoples memories are in the attic and basement.” She shrugged. “My mind is just different.”

“Sol…”

“Don’t tell them,” she begged. “Harry and Severus. They feel so guilty about that night, Harry especially. And they shouldn’t. I wanted to help, I needed to. They’re family, you know? All of us together…it’s worth fighting for.”

“I’ll keep it to myself. But…Sol, I really think you need to see someone. A professional. It can’t be easy, or healthy, for you to keep all of this inside. Talk to someone, someone who knows how to handle all of this.”

“Me and Miri are the only augurs in the world. You really think there’s someone who can handle it?”

“Someone who can handle trauma in a broader sense.”

“Maybe.”

“Does Bill know?”

“He does. When…when I was shut away, after. When it was just me and him. I didn’t have a whole lot of control for a few days. Bill got a front row seat to the mess I was.”

“He’s an incredible young man.”

“That’s my guy.”

“But, back to it…Neville’s parents. I knew them, back when. They were good people. Very good people. What happened to them…” He shook his head, unable to complete his sentence. “I’m not sure what would be possible, in terms of your assistance. As far as I’m aware, they’ve been in a permanent altered state for almost seventeen years. I suppose…theoretically, if there is still some sort of consciousness within Frank and Alice…something worth bringing to the surface. I think it might be worth a shot, having you take a look. See if you could dig down and find them. This is all theoretical, of course. I think the next step is to talk to their Healers. They could give you a better idea of what’s what.”

She nodded absently and he fell silent, waiting. It was something he had come to expect from practically every member of their family. If you wanted them to open up about what was really on their minds, you had to be patient. If you pushed, they’d just shut down.

“I can get Neville to give permission to the Healers, so I can talk to them candidly, get a true picture of what’s going on. I don’t think there’s much point in speculating until I know exactly what we’re talking about.”

“Sounds like a sensible plan,” he said, right before the door hit the wall as Sirius flung it open.

“Remus, you have to come, quickly,” he demanded breathlessly.

“What is it? What’s happened?” Remus asked, following him down the stairs, Solarin trailing them.

“It’s Anne. She went home, to the house. She didn’t mean to, but she did and he did and now Moody’s trying to keep it quiet because if the Aurors find out were all fucked.”

“Sirius!” he snapped, grabbing his elbow as they reached the front hall. “What are you talking about?”

“He knows Anne’s a witch. He saw her, Remus, Jim saw her doing magic. It’s been reported. Moody caught the report but we have to do something before someone else finds out.”

Now it was Sirius keeping up with Remus.

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Anne had gone to her house to clean it.

She was very house proud and wouldn’t hear of it being even dusty. So she regularly went to keep up with the housework and no one was brave enough to even think of suggesting she do otherwise. Sometimes she took Nixie with her and sometimes Remus, but this time she went alone.

Big Jim had caught her levitating the sofa to vacuum underneath it.

When Remus made it back to his childhood home, his mother was sat with Jack in the kitchen, shaking and a moment away from hyperventilating. Jack shooed him away and assured him he would be okay taking care of her. Remus did as he was told and followed Arthur to the Shamrock, the pub his Uncle Jim owned. He’d left Sirius at home to keep things ticking along. They found that things ran smoother when one of them stayed home.

Remus had stopped going to regular school when he was bitten by Greyback, but hadn’t wanted to stop his parents from working. So he had spent his days in the Shamrock, sitting at a table working at things supposed to be for university students, concepts that most adults had trouble understanding. He was always brighter than other children his age.

But before that, before he was isolated from other children, he had learnt to walk in the Shamrock’s back room. He’d broken his arm on the stairs as a toddler. He’d learnt to count by playing cards and counting glasses he’d collected.

Every childhood memory he had seemed to revolve around the pub and its regulars.

He approached the door of the pub and knocked.

“Jim? Jim, are you in there?”

“Get lost! Closed!”

“Jim, it’s Remus. Mum called me, said something happened. Please, let me in. I feel stupid talking to the door.”

“Not right now, lad, come back later.”

“Uncle Jim, please. I…I know what you saw. Please, just let me in. I can explain it to you. Please?”

Remus waited, listening intently at the door. For a while, there was silence, and then there were the tell-tale shuffling steps he’d known all his life.

The door cracked open and Jim peeked out at him.

“Explain it?” he whispered, his Irish lilt full of fear. “How the bloody hell can you!”

“Please, let me in and we can talk. I promise, you’ve nothing to fear.” He sighed. “Uncle Jim, you’ve known me my whole life, every moment of it, and of all of you, besides mum of course, you’re the one who’s always been able to tell when I’ve lied to you. I’m not lying now. I can explain.”

Jim stared at him for a moment before he nodded and stepped aside.

Remus confidently made his way around the bar and plucked up the bottle of scotch Jim kept for really special occasions and two glasses.

“I really think we best sit down. This will take a while,” Remus said and Jim hefted himself onto a stool.

“Right, lad,” he said after the first drink. “Start talking.”

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Usually, Severus was in their bedroom waiting for him when Harry finished putting Miri to bed. It was something he liked to do, the bedtime routine. Giving Miri her bath, telling her a story, cuddles and kisses and lullabies. He loved watching her get all sleepy on him. Then, when she was almost there, he’d tuck her into her bed and let her drift off on her own.

Severus was surprised to find Harry sitting on their bed waiting for him. He took a few steps back and looked at Miri’s room, but no, her crystal light was on, so she was in bed.

“She went off early tonight,” he said carefully as he crossed to his dresser.

“Mmmm. She’s not nursing anymore, so she goes quicker,” Harry explained, looking up from the book he was reading as Severus stripped off his shirt. “All good in the lab?”

“All stable and good for the night. No night time adding tonight, love.”

Harry waited until Severus had laid down with a groan before he set aside his book and slid into his lap, making Severus look up at him with a smirk.

“Well. Hello there.”

“Hi.”

“This is unexpected,” he said gently.

Harry hadn’t let him touch him since Lucius had touched him. At first he was too sore, then too afraid, and then it had just slipped away from them. Severus had tried to initiate love making only once. It had been a week and a half after the attack when Harry had sleepily joined him in the shower one morning. Harry had been soft and affectionate, and Severus had read the signals as a green light, but Harry had ripped himself away when Severus’ hands had travelled. He hadn’t tried to initiate anything since.

“I missed you,” Harry said as he tugged Severus into a more upright position. “Missed touching.”

“You can touch me,” he assured, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. “I’m all yours.”

“Sorry it’s been so long,” he whispered, blushing.

“It’s been as long as you needed it to be. It’s only time. And I’ve not been upset by it. What would really be the point of rushing you? Of pressuring you into something you neither wanted nor were ready for? I find no pleasure in the act if you do not find pleasure too.”

“But I know you wanted to.”

“Yes. I always want to. But it only works between us if we both want to.” He leaned in and kissed him softly. “Imagine something for me?”

Harry nodded.

“Turn it around. If it were me, if I were unwilling to engage in intimacies with you. I love you very much and I would push myself into it if you wanted. But would you enjoy it if you knew I didn’t truly want to?”

“No,” he said immediately. “I wouldn’t want it if you didn’t too. It wouldn’t be good if it was like that.”

“Precisely. Harry, I preface this with a true assurance of just how enticing you are to me. If I could, if it were physically possible, I would be very happy to just stay in bed and have sex with you all day and night. Chaffing may become an issue, but I’m sure we could soldier through.” 

Harry giggled at him.

“But I do hope you know that my love for you is a separate thing to my physical desire for you. I love you for who you are, for all the wonderful moments of our lives together. I love you even if we never partake in each other again. Yes, making love with you, claiming you, is very enjoyable, I like it very much. But I LOVE you.”

“I love you too,” Harry assured. “And I understand what you’re saying. I just…I wish it hadn’t taken so long for me to feel better.”

“Ah. Well. This is true. It would be nice if we, as human beings, could shake things off immediately, wouldn’t it?”

“Really nice.”

“Shame it doesn’t work that way.”

“But I feel better now,” he said with a smile. “I want to touch you now. And have you touch me. And…”

“And?”

Harry squirmed and Severus bit down his smile. Harry was getting far better at asking for what he wanted, but his shyness still made Severus smile.

“I want another baby,” Harry said after a moment. “I mean, Miri’s getting bigger, and I’ve finished my exams now. And I know you want another one. Miri could have a brother or sister. She wouldn’t be alone.”

“This is true. And they would be fairly close in age, which might be a plus. Do you feel ready for another one? Physically I mean. Pregnancy can be difficult, love. I’d hate for you to put your body through something it wasn’t ready for.”

“I think so,” he said thoughtfully. “I’m a lot better now than when I made Miri.”

Severus thought it was a rather nice way to put it. When Harry made her. Not how she was made, not who else was involved or who’s choice she was. Just when he made her.

“You’re certainly healthier now. A far better weight. You were much too skinny, love. Really, it’s a wonder Petunia didn’t end up killing you as a child.”

“I don’t want to talk about her tonight,” he said. “Another time, but not now.”

“Alright, love, alright. No talk of them tonight. But you must admit that you have needed this time to regain a healthy body.”

“Yeah, I did need it. But look.” He pulled off his t-shirt and lobbed it at the hamper, where it sunk in without touching the sides. “No ribs showing. No hips poking out. No spine bruising you anymore.”

“You look wonderful, Harry,” he praised, running gentle hands over his cushioned ribs and resting them on his lightly padded hips. “Feel good too. So healthy and strong.”

He leaned in and kissed him, careful at first but gaining strength as Harry returned it. He groaned as Harry demanded entrance to his mouth, licking insistently at his lips until he opened to him, surrendering to his tongue stroking his.

After a while, Harry coaxed him to return the favour, teasing his tongue to move forward and do some conquering of its own.

For a while, they simply remained like that. Kissing and touching, remembering all the places that felt the best when stroked, others that were better with a ticklingly light touch, some that required a firmer grip.

“I want it,” Harry murmured against his lips and Severus smiled.

Slowly, he slid his hands down to the waist of Harry’s boxers, and from there they wriggled and moved to get their remaining clothes off.

“Harry, you understand that you’re still on your contraceptive, don’t you? That you can’t conceive yet?”

“What?”

“The potion is still in effect and will still cover you for a little while longer. Until your birthday.”

“Oh. No, I didn’t realise. And I’m not even going to be stupid and think it might wear off early. You made it. It won’t.”

“No, it definitely won’t,” he said with a smile, running careful fingertips over the curve of Harry’s side, gently tracing his bellybutton, stroking the bottom of his ribs.

Since Miri had stopped nursing, Harry’s milk had stopped and he was once more completely flat chested. He would never develop a male chest, never have those pectoral muscles be prominent, but he was at last free of all bras and swelling.

“Oh well. Just means more practice,” he said with a smile before he latched onto Severus’ lips again and reached for the lube.

“We’ll be experts by the time you do catch,” he purred, taking the tube and coating himself. With that preparation out of the way, he set about teasing the tender flesh between Harry’s thighs. “Yes?”

“Good,” Harry breathed as Severus traced his folds. “Please.”

Lucius hadn’t touched Harry there when he had taken him, but Harry had still refused to let Severus afterwards. Until a few days ago, the thought of anyone touching him made him want to get in a very hot shower and scrub until he bled. It had taken time for him to feel comfortable in his body again, and then more time for the very idea of accepting Severus inside him to feel right. 

Harry whimpered as Severus slipped first one then two fingers inside, stroking, teasing, and Harry’s thighs spread even further all of their own accord. Severus gasped as Harry leant down and took a nipple between his teeth, worrying it and sending pleasure shooting down his spine.

“Harry,” he moaned. “Please. I need to…”

The younger man pulled away his hand and took his cock in a gentle grip, lining it up before sinking down slowly. Once he had taken all of Severus, he stilled, hands sliding up to tangle in Severus’ hair, joining their mouths.

After a moment, he began to move. Slowly at first, cautious, almost afraid, until the feel of that hard length began to stroke his insides.

“Feel good?” Severus asked, stroking his lower back and buttocks as he moaned at him.

“Love you,” he whispered, moving a little more firmly on him, pulling at his hair, nipping at his lips.

Severus surrendered to it, let it take him over, and he practically devoured his lover. He kissed him hard before he rolled them over. He held himself still, still buried within Harry, and looked down at him, waiting until he nodded and shifted his hips.

He took him steadily, slow and deep until Harry was utterly undone beneath him. The sprite arched against him, scratching his back as he followed with his hips, throwing his head back to gasp and moan or burying it in Severus’ shoulder to try and find something solid to hold on to.

Eventually Harry pushed at him until he understood what he wanted and rolled them over again, Harry fairly screaming as he settled on him once more. He moved harder on Severus, chasing the pleasure he wanted. 

Severus didn’t wait for Harry to ask for it, he didn’t want him to work that hard for it. He worked his hand between them and settled his middle fingertip on Harry’s clit, letting his movements stimulate it.

Harry screamed and convulsed as it took him, sweeping through him, washing over him and taking all the bad with it.

Severus himself gave into it, letting his mind go blissfully blank as he came.

They came back to themselves some time later, sticky and sated.

“Mmmm,” Harry hummed, patting the sweaty chest he was laying on. “Very nice.”

“Me too,” Severus agreed. 

Words were hard. Thinking was hard. Anything other than just lying in a boneless puddle was hard.

Harry didn’t want to move. He really didn’t want to. He wanted to stay right where he was until he expired. But there was a cramp gaining strength in his thigh and he whined.

“What’s wrong?” Severus asked immediately.

“Cramp, in my leg.”

He hummed in sympathy as he carefully rolled them over, sitting up and stretching Harry’s legs carefully, rubbing with the heel of his hand at the sore patch until Harry sighed in relief.

“Thank you,” Harry said as Severus cast cleaning charms.

Harry smiled to himself as Severus made himself comfortable, laying across the bed on his front with his head on Harry’s belly. He pressed kisses to the pale soft skin.

“Comfy?” Harry asked amusedly.

“Exceedingly. You make a very good pillow.”

“Severus? Do…do you think it’ll be the same?”

“What will be the same?”

“Being pregnant. Will it feel the same when I have the next one?”

“Interesting question. I don’t know. Physically, I can’t imagine it will feel too different. You’re healthier this time, certainly,” he theorised as Harry stroked gentle fingers through his hair. “That might make some difference. You may get through a pregnancy with a little less discomfort now you have more padding.”

“Will I feel different about this baby?” he said quietly.

“You might. You’ll be less nervous, I suppose. Less apprehensive. You’ll know what’s coming, which is sure to make things easier. And there’s no fear of someone trying to take it away.” He craned his head to meet his eyes. “Harry, are you worried you won’t love a second child as much as you love Miri?”

“Kind of,” he mumbled and Severus knew that that was what Harry had been getting at.

“You have more than enough love to go around,” he assured, propping his head on a hand. “Love doesn’t have a limit, Harry. You will love a new child just as much as you love Miri.”

“You promise?”

“Absolutely. You know, no matter how little James and I thought of each other, I do wish he had been there to raise you. If he and Lily had been around, you would have seen first-hand how much love a family can have.”

“Like…like the Weasley’s?”

“Very much so.”

Harry lapsed into silence once more and Severus let him be. It was a big thing, the decision to create a life. Personally, he was all for it. But he wouldn’t be the one carrying it.

When Harry did speak again, it was to change the subject and Severus didn’t call him on it. Harry would have to come to his own opinions in his own time and rushing him would help nothing.

“Remus said something the other day, when we were out, and it’s been kind of playing on my mind since.”

“Oh? What did he say?”

“He said I could sell the stuff I make. He thinks it’s good enough to sell. And…maybe I could,” he said quietly.

“I think it’s good enough. And I would have suggested it had you shown a desire to do so.”

“I don’t even know how to start selling.”

“I think the first step is to focus your efforts. You make a lot of different things, a very wide range. To sell, I think a more specialised approach would be better,” he said. “What is it you like making the most?”

“The dolls,” he said immediately. “The Waldorf dolls. Making them is the best. I like other things as well. But the dolls are my favourite.”

“I think the first step would be to refine your designs, decide what your base doll will look like, so you could make all the dolls from a single pattern. Then personalisation would be the hair and clothes and such.”

“So…a single base doll, and then all the clothes and bits are different. Sounds simple enough.”

“I suppose a good test of the marketability of the dolls would be to approach a toyshop and see if they would stock your wares. That way you could see if people are willing to buy them.”

“You’re brilliant,” he said with a smile, urging Severus up so he could kiss him.

“I do try.”

Harry hummed in agreement before sliding his hand down to cup him, inspiring him to put his brilliant mind to better uses.

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No one would ever have imagined that there would be two Augurs in the world at the same time, but they all loved watching the two interact.

Miri loved her Aunt. She loved to toddle up to her and cuddle close. Once safely in Solarin’s arms, the two would have a happy silent conversation. Harry, especially, was absolutely enchanted when he watched them together.

When Miri had been born, and then discovered to be an Augur, Harry had been terrified. How could he possibly raise a child so very special? In the beginning, he questioned everything he even thought. As time passed, he relaxed into it and began to really enjoy it. Miri delighted in her tricks, in all the games only she and Solarin could play.

And he loved being able to feel her emotions. As if they were simply too big for her tiny little body, they pushed outwards and Harry basked in it. He could literally feel how much his baby girl loved him. There was nothing better.

That morning, as soon as Harry set Miri on her feet, she trundled off to Solarin and held her arms up so she would be held.

Solarin cuddled her close and murmured into her head how loved she was, how special, and Miri wasted no time in projecting back how much she loved Solarin. The two of them stayed like that for a long while before they began to play together. First making various fruits float or fly around the room and then conjuring balls of light for Dorian and the twins to enjoy. Daven was happy to lounge in her bouncy chair and blow raspberries at the twinkling lights they made appear over her.

It was pure magic at work and the family considered themselves very lucky to see it.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Remus opened the front door and looked over his shoulder at his uncle.

“Still with me?”

“Just about. Just to check, you do know that your house is invisible, yes?” Jim asked.

“Only to you, dear,” Anne said, she and Jack bringing up the rear. “We just need Harry to clue you in and then you’ll be able to see it.”

“Right. It’s magic, it’s magic, it’s magic,” he muttered to himself.

All in all, Jim had taken things rather well once Remus had explained things. He’d agreed to keep things to himself and not tell the other Uncles, on the condition that he finally got to meet the whole of Remus’ family.

Jim had never had children. Remus was the closest he had to a son. He couldn’t wait to meet his grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Even if it involved invisible houses and werewolves.

Remus chuckled at the two crawling babies making a bid for freedom out of the kitchen door, each one being tugged by the butt of their leggings by a cat. Catherine was being tugged by Potter, fluffy white tail swaying with his enjoyment, and Crookshanks tugging Joseph, who was giggling madly.

“Now what have we here?”

“Gappa Us!” Catherine cried in delight.

“Come on, you two. Back that way,” he said, motioning them back towards the kitchen. Once they’d turned, he scooped up Potter and Crookshanks. “Good boys. Come on. Breakfast.”

Jim reached out to stroke Potter and the cat immediately hissed at him, which got him a whack on the head from Crookshanks.

“Potter, be nice,” Anne scolded. “Sorry, Jim. Crookshanks has been exposed to Muggles but Potter hasn’t.”

“And that’s important?”

“Oh, right. They’re both part Kneazle,” Remus explained as he was nuzzled behind each ear. He squirmed as rough tongues began to groom him. “Magical cats that are loyal to witches and wizards. They’re highly intelligent and can detect unsavoury characters. Crookshanks here has protected Sirius before.”

“And they don’t like Muggles?”

“If they haven’t been acclimatised to them,” Jack said. He scooped up the kitten tugging on his shoelaces. “This one is Cauldron.” He handed the little guy over and Jim happily tickled him under the chin. The cat enjoyed the attention for a moment before he curled up in Jim’s arms and purred, kneading his jumper.

Remus led the way to the kitchen, where there was happy chaos as usual.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were making breakfast, various other members of the family ferrying things back and forth to the table. Arthur was deep in debate with Sam on the merits of modern horror movies while Severus was mocking Sirius’ ponytail. Miri was marching around holding a spatula yelling something that sounded like a sneeze, while Tonks was cuddling Daven as Dorian giggled at his parents play-fighting.

“Is this the kitchen you built? You asked Mike about all of it, how to do it and all that.”

“Yes, this is the one. Sirius did his bit of course, but it was mostly me. I needed a project at the time and it seemed like the thing to do. The old kitchen was in the basement and it was so dark and dingy.”

“Well you’ve done a grand job, lad.”

“Thanks, Jim. I’m home,” Remus called and Sirius flipped Severus the bird as he crossed the room.

“All sorted then?”

“Go easy on him,” Anne said as she caught sight of his smirk. “Gentle with the old boy.”

“I’ll be good,” he said, putting on his best angelic impression.

“I’ll believe that when I see it.” 

Sirius took Crookshanks from her as she moved off to help Hermione with her smoking frying pan.

“What did I do this time?” she moaned.

“Not a clue, but please, go play with our children before you poison us,” Ron said, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“Severus would save you,” she said lightly as she scooped up Joseph.

“How you can be so brilliant in potions and so abysmal in the kitchen defies my understanding,” Severus said as he scooped up Catherine. “By all rights, you should be an award winning chef.”

“And yet, I still burn toast.”

“I feel very lost,” Jim said quietly to his nephew.

“Don’t worry,” Remus reassured. “Just sit back and let it all wash over you. You’ll soon get the flow of things. And names. Those will come too.”

Jim nodded vaguely and then looked down as Miri poked him in the knee with the business end of her spatula. 

“Atchoo Cauldron!” she cried, waving her utensil.

“Sorry, she’s magic playing,” Harry said, placing a plate of rolls on the table. “The spatula is her wand, she’s trying to summon her cat.”

“Oh. Here,” he said, holding the kitten out to her. The spatula hit the floor as she reached up to take him, cuddling Cauldron close as he meowed at her.

“Thank you,” she said, toddling off.

“Harry, this is my Uncle Jim,” Remus said, scratching Potter behind the ear. “Could you clue him in to the house?”

“Sure. I forgot where I put the note.” He waved a hand. “I’ll find it. Or write a new one. What…what did I do?”

Remus glanced at Jim and smothered a smile.

“He knew Lily and James.”

“Oh. That.”

“I’m so sorry,” Jim said. “I’m staring, I’m sorry. Remus told me you look like them but…I didn’t expect quite so close.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“Caya! Me up!”

Harry smiled as he picked Miri up and perched her on his hip, the little girl looking curiously at the newcomer.

“Miri, this is Jim. You want to say hi?”

She whined and tugged at the neck of his t-shirt. “A not ‘apose to.”

“It’s okay, baby,” Severus soothed, stroking her curls. “Jim’s family.”

“But…a Sib,” she complained.

“A sib?” Severus echoed. “A…oh, sweet heavens. He’s a Squib!”

“No, he’s not,” Remus scoffed. “We’d know!”

“Not if he was given up for adoption,” Anne said knowingly. “Jim, weren’t you adopted as a toddler?”

“Aye. I was two,” Jim supplied. 

“More than enough time for a wizarding family to realise what you are,” Severus reasoned. “Well, no wonder the Ministry were so quick to let us handle this!”

“I was given away because I’m not magical?” 

“It’s a fairly common practice and far kinder for the Squib in question,” Sirius reassured. “It must be horrible to grow up surrounded by something you can never have. I can think of nothing worse.”

“Nothing? Really?” Remus pressed with a raised brow.

“Well, maybe not nothing, but still a terrible way to grow up!”

Severus distracted Jim and the others while Harry soothed Miri’s ruffled feathers. It was really remarkable how similar she and Solarin were when they felt things were wrong. 

“It’s okay, Miri,” Harry promised. He moved off, swaying with her and rubbing her back as she snuggled into his shoulder. “Remember me and Daddy told you that some Muggles are friends?”

She nodded. 

“Sometimes those Muggles might not be Muggles. What did we say?”

“A tell me when I showed magic.”

“That’s right. We’ll tell you when you can show magic. Jim’s a Squib, so he doesn’t have magic, but he’s still very special, he’s Grandpa Remus’ uncle, he’s part of our family.”

“Not a magic, but still good?”

“That’s right! That’s my clever girl!” he praised with a big kiss to her cheek, making her giggle and pat at his hair. “Do you want to say hi now?”

She nodded and he made his way back over, where Miri said her hello’s and then cautiously took Jim’s finger to hold. 

Ron was most definitely his mothers son. He loved domestic duties more than he ever thought he would, and he was good at it. He could get a bathtub to shine, get stains out of clothing, and his cooking was a thing of beauty.

Case in point were the lemon muffins he was pulling out of the oven to add to the English muffins and crumpets he’d also made from scratch. These particular muffins were Solarin’s recipe and it was only the fact of her being married to his brother that allowed him to use it.

He was always careful not to forget the crunchy sugar on top.

Most young men his age were not thinking of the best way to feed a large family, or the most efficient way to get the cleaning done so he could spend maximum time playing with his children. But for Ron, they were essential thoughts. He truly found joy and contentment in keeping a home running, taking care of his children.

He’d taken over the majority of household tasks that had once fallen to Molly. The others had worried that maybe they piled too much on him but he honestly enjoyed it.

Harry moved off to settle Miri in her highchair and Jim pulled Remus aside.

“That tiny boy saved the whole world?”

“Twice.”

“Jesus, Mary and Joseph.”

Remus chuckled and slung an arm around his shoulders.

Breakfast went as it usually did in the house. Happy chaos. It was loud and busy, voices blending together to make a soundtrack to the way they lived.

“Harry, I made you an appointment to see the head of the triple M,” Bill said.

“What’s the triple M?” Harry asked.

“Magical Money Matters,” Charlie added. “Runs all the financial sections in Britain.”

“If I remember right, it’s still Chadwick Smythton, yes?” Anne asked.

“Yes, still Chad. He wants to handle Harry’s inheritance personally. Too many personalities and agendas for anyone else to handle it,” Bill said, helping Dorian cut the top off his egg so he could dunk sticks of French toast into the yolk. “Smythton’s rich enough on his own terms to make him impartial.”

“One wizard is in charge of all the money in Britain?” Nixie asked.

“Managerially,” Bill clarified. “Usually his job is to make sure things end up in the right department with the right people. He doesn’t usually take care of things himself, but he’s worried Harry might get…misled. He can’t afford to have this go wrong after what happened with Dumbledore.”

“Mmm!” Tonks moaned, mouth full of muffin. She chewed fiercely before she could actually speak. “I totally forgot. Sol, we need your help with some of the things we’ve found. Mostly as a lie detector.”

“What sort of things?” the witch asked as she reached over and scooped up Daven.

Tonks glanced at Harry. “Some confidential things. We can’t charge him with them unless we have the proof, and we need your help to make sure we have the truth.”

“Why not use Veritaserum?” Jack questioned. “I thought it was the standard.”

“It is,” Tonks agreed. “But, he’s old and influential. We can’t trust that he hasn’t used an unscrupulous brewer to develop an antidote and kept it from the general public. Sol’s abilities have no defence, so we can be sure, and she can bring a third party into what she picks up, so it can be verified.”

Sirius smiled at the confused look on Jim’s face.

“She’s an Augur,” he said. “Very rare witch. Sol and Miri are the only two in the world.”

“Ah. Special girls, in a family of special people. What, er, makes them special, more than the rest of you, that is?” Jim asked.

“They’re mind readers,” Remus said, taking a sip of tea.

“They…what?”

“We read minds,” Solarin said. “Hear thoughts, watch memories, sense emotions. We can also pick up on who cast a spell and sometimes, we can see the future, but that’s not as fun as it sounds.”

“Think of them as a conduit for pure magic,” Tonks said. “It’s the way we’ve started thinking of them in official circles. Pure magic funnelled through a living being. Sort of the opposite of a Squib. Really, some of the official research is fascinating. You should see the historical accounts being dug up!”

“I’d love to get a look at those,” Remus said, Hermione nodding.

“There’ll be an official guide written, covering everything they find. I’ll bring home a copy when it’s ready. The theory of pure magic being funnelled is just something that stuck with me.”

“Mmmm,” Hermione hummed. “It’s in the book we’re translating. Something about magic being like a river, and every now and then a dam builds up. What trickles through, that small amount, that ends up as a Squib. But what builds ends up an Augur.”

“Which is why there have been so many problems,” Sam said darkly. “It’ll be better for Miri. Now we know, now we understand, there won’t be the complications that Sol’s had.”

“I think we’re all thankful for that,” Severus said, Harry nodding beside him.

“She’s reading my mind?” Jim asked Anne worriedly.

“Not consciously,” Remus reassured. “Think of it like the noise on the street. Lots of people, lots of noise, you can’t pick out a single voice.”

“Except mine,” Bill added.

“Well, yes, except Bill’s,” Remus allowed. “They have a very strong permanent telepathic link.”

“If you ever want to be invisible to her, best to sit in a crowded room,” said Fred. 

“And this…gift?” He looked to Solarin to make sure he had the right word, to which she waggled her head side to side. It was as good a word as any. “It’s that rare? That there’s only two?”

“As far as we’re aware,” Severus confirmed. “Of course, until Miri was born and displayed the traits, Sol was the only one we knew about. We never knew our aunt was one. She’s gone now, but she seemed to be fairly impressive in her way.”

“I noticed something in the book,” Remus said. “I think the gift might be a recessive Pureblood trait. All Pureblood families are related, all that in-breeding. In all the records and the names in the books, it seems that Augur’s have only ever turned up in Pureblood lines.”

“Mum was a Pureblood,” Solarin mused. “And Harry’s dad was. So it makes sense.”

“Doesn’t it get noisy?” Jim asked. “Hearing all of us, all the time. Isn’t it…loud?”

She smiled gently, amused by him and his concern. She could feel it, that he was genuinely worried that he might be hurting her or Miri.

“Aren’t you a sweetheart,” she giggled, making him blush. “It does get loud, you’re right, but it’s not the same type of noise you pick up with the ears. It’s like…hmmm.”

Harry was practically on the edge of his seat and Severus smiled indulgently. His husband had been absolutely fascinated by Sol’s abilities since the moment they’d began living under the same roof. For Severus, they’d just always been there, he was too used to them to really get excited or entranced or wonder how it all worked. But Harry was young and it was new to him. He found true delight in some of the things Sol, and Miri, could do. Pretty things and things that came out of a fairytale or a Disney movie particularly piqued his interest. His thirst for Sol’s magic had only grown since Miri had shown her own skills. 

“The world around us is always making noise,” she said eventually. “Wind through the trees, traffic, birds, all sorts. We always hear it, but we’re not always aware of it. It’s background, like a heartbeat of the world. It’s the same sort of thing. The voices from everyone around me are like a hum in the background. Honestly, I think I’d feel a little lost without it.”

“You would,” Bill confirmed. “When you had the surgery and I couldn’t feel you in my head, it was so jarring. I’ve never had the connection gone like that before. It was scary.”

“You wewe scawed, Daddy?” Dorian asked.

“When Mummy was ill and Sam made it better.”

“Oh. That was scawy.”

Solarin pressed a long kiss to Dorian’s dark curls and then one to Bill’s lips. 

“I’m doing fine now,” she assured. 

“Yeah, now,” Charlie muttered.

“Really,” Sol said, looking back at Jim. “You can’t hurt me with your thoughts, or Miri. You’re just one thread, one voice.”

“You’re sure?” he checked, his Irish accent filled with concern. “I’d hate to put anyone out.”

“I’m sure.”

“Hey, Ronnie, have you seen this?” George asked, passing over that morning’s Prophet. It was open to the advertisements page and he pointed out the smallest ad on the page.

“’Women’s Witchery’?” he accused.

“What? Oh, bugger. Ignore the title. It’s a crafts workshop. Look, they do cooking and cleaning and handicrafts. You like that stuff. I thought…”

“Sorry,” Ron mumbled. He was so used to being the butt of his brother’s jokes he just expected it now. He buried his face in the paper and his eyebrows raised. “Hey, Harry. I think this might be something you like too. They do all sewing and stuff.”

Harry took a look at the ad and gave a little smile.

“Sounds like fun. It’s on this afternoon.”

“I’m for it. You?”

“Yeah. I think so.” He looked at Severus. “Is…is that okay?”

“Of course, love,” he assured. “You should do things you enjoy. This is such a thing. Me and Miri will be fine, won’t we, poppet?”

“A play with Daddy!” she crowed and they chuckled at her.

“Are you okay with the twins?” Ron checked and Hermione gave a small smile.

“We’ll be fine,” she promised. “I think an afternoon in the garden is in order.”

The breakfast slowly wound down, people trickling away in ones and twos to do other things, and eventually, it was just Jim and Remus sitting at the table.

“Well,” Jim said as Remus poured him more tea.

“Now you’ve met them,” he said with a smile. “Even got a hug off Miri. What do you think? Can I trust you?”

“Oh, lad. Of course you can. I’ll not tell a soul. Just promise me I can be there. That I can be grandpa.”

“I would love for you to be grandpa.”

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

When Sam qualified as a doctor and healer, he had vowed to always listen first. He’d spent so long being dismissed by medical professionals for being a werewolf that he was determined not to be like that.

Over the years, he’d learnt that it paid to listen to other peoples worries about his patients.

So when Dorian found him in the library after breakfast, he immediately put aside his paperwork and listened. And once he’d listened, he thanked the little boy and sent him off to play with lots of reassurances, and then went to find Solarin.

He knocked on the bathroom door but got no answer so he didn’t feel too much guilt about using magic to open it. Solarin was dozing on the floor, Daven napping in her bouncy chair, one of Sol’s hands resting on the baby’s belly.

“Sol. Sol, wake up,” he murmured, rubbing her back.

“I’m awake.”

“Mmmmhmmm. How long have you been throwing up?”

“What? How did you…”

“Dorian. He told me because I take care of you and I can make you better. He said you throw up a lot.”

“A few days,” she admitted, not even bothering to try and hide it. She’d been ratted out by her own toddler. She’d have to bake him cookies for his sneakiness. “A week maybe. What day is it?”

“Tuesday.”

“Shit. Over a week. I thought it was Wednesday or Thursday, last week. Didn’t realise we’d been through the weekend. Hard to keep track without the others in school.”

“Okay. Anything else I should know?”

“Pain, in my stomach. And I can’t eat, it’s like I’m already full all the time. I’m bloated. And heartburn, pretty bad sometimes. Nausea, all the time. Bloating, dizzy. And I’m tired. Really tired.”

“Why didn’t you come to me?” he said, horrified. “Sol, you know that things with you can go wrong, really wrong, and we might not get warning for it. You have to tell me these things.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I thought it was just something I ate. I figured I’d tell you if it got worse.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I wouldn’t lie to you, Sam, not after what happened. If I thought there was something to tell, I would have told you. I thought it was just something I ate or a bug I picked up.”

“Alright, fine. I’ll forgive you this time. But this really is serious,” he said as she slowly sat up. “We need to find out what’s doing this. And we need to find out what effect this has had on your system.”

She grimaced. “Is there any chance any of these tests just lining up to happen can happen at home?”

“Nope. Sorry, but you need tests I can only do in the hospital. I think I can do most of them in St Mungo’s, and I can rush it all through. Possibly have it all done in a day. One day, that’s all I ask.”

She sighed and nodded, pushing her hair back and stroking Daven’s curls.

There was a short knock and Severus poked his head around the door.

“How the hell do you do that?” Sam asked, amazed. “Every time she needs you, you miraculously appear.”

“Years of practice. You need something then.”

“Someone to watch the kids,” she said. “Sam needs to do some tests.”

“Is this something I should be concerned about?” Severus asked as Sam helped Sol to stand and he took Daven’s chair in steady hands.

“Possibly,” Sam admitted. “Some digestive issues. If nothing else, I at least want her on a drip.”

“Bill’s going to meet us there,” Solarin said as she brushed past them. “Need shoes. See you in the kitchen.”

The two men watched her leave and then Sam turned to Severus.

“This is bad. She hasn’t kept anything down for a week. Something is happening to her, and I don’t know what it is,” the doctor confided.

“Can the truth be found?”

“There are some tests I can run, some favours I can cash to get the results faster. If luck’s on my side, I can figure this out today.”

“Do you have a theory?”

“A vague one, based on the symptoms. I’ve never seen it on its own, not without other conditions, but then again no one has ever seen a witch like her before, so it could be. I don’t want to give anything a name until I investigate.”

“If it is what you think, can you help her? Hell, Sam, even if it isn’t, is there a way to get something down her? She can’t go on like this, she has to eat.”

“There are ways, don’t worry. I’ll do everything possible.”

Severus gifted him a small smile. “I have no doubt of that, my friend.”

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Harry didn’t know what he had expected but it wasn’t what he and Ron found.

The class they were looking for was held in Diagon Alley in a little store neither of them had noticed before. It was a few doors down from Madame Malkins, and was a small unassuming shopfront. 

The two boys entered and looked at each other.

There were plants absolutely everywhere. Hanging above them, displayed on shelves, on stands, on the floor. They trailed across surfaces and twined around chair legs and banisters.

“Merry meet!”

She was old enough to be their grandmother with white curls that reached her knees, hanging loose and wild like a cloak, an electric green scarf struggling to hold them off her face. She had twinkling blue eyes like Dumbledore but reminded them of Trelawney, with her long dress and flowing shawl.

“Er, hi,” Ron said. “Is this…Women’s Witchery?”

“It is! Come in, come in!” she sung, beckoning them closer. “We welcome all that wish to learn to feather the nest.”

“We’re the only males in here!” Ron whispered as they crept forwards. There were about ten women all seated on armchairs and floor cushions, under a wide open skylight that had a perfect blue sky showing through it.

“Speak for yourself, I’m half girl,” Harry mocked as they chose two squashy beanbags.

“Lap it up.”

“As the hour is upon us, we shall begin,” the woman said and a hush came over the room. “Welcome all to Women’s Witchery! My name is Meadow and I endeavour to teach all those who wish to learn! Today, I want to meet you all and find out your desires. Our homes should be a sanctuary, a safe nest in which we rest and replenish! The goal of my classes is to teach you to feather your nests, whether that be food to nourish those you love, ways to clean and refresh your space, or skills to make comforts and decorations. I’m sure we have much to teach each other! We are all students of the world, and She has much to teach us!”

She started off by going around the room and asking each of them what they hoped for, why they had decided to take the class.

Some wanted to cook more expansive meals, others wanted to save money by making their own repairs and cooking their own meals rather than take away. One was expecting her first grandchild and wanted to be the kind of nana that knits. Then it came to Ron and Harry.

“Hi,” Ron said nervously. “I’m Ron and I guess I’m just looking to learn something new. My wife is the breadwinner, and I think it’d be nice to have more recipes to choose from and more things to do with the kids.”

“How many kids do you have?” asked a witch. Her name was Charlotte and she had an expression of disgust permanently on her face.

“Two, a boy and a girl. Twins. They’re a year next week.”

“Seem a little young to have children.”

“More energy to run around with them,” he said coolly and she looked away.

“Little ones in the nest bring such love and joy!” Meadow trilled. “And our final student today! Please, my dear, introduce yourself.”

“I’m Harry,” he said and several of the group suddenly were much more interested in him. He felt Ron tense and nudged him with his shoulder. “I like making things, crafts and stuff. I saw the advert in the paper and it looked interesting. They didn’t teach any of this at Hogwarts.”

“Wonderful! A true seeker of knowledge!”

Harry didn’t dare glance at Ron, he knew exactly what he was thinking.

Both of their spouses would hate this woman with a passion.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Meadow started them off with some simple cleaning spells, things to pick up toys and clutter, to dust a surface, to wipe up a spill.

Once they were proficient with those, she got a little more fancy. Spells to scrub a toilet, ones to make vegetables peel themselves, a rather complicated wrist movement for the spell to make books organise themselves.

A cup of tea was enjoyed and then they learnt some things for cooking. Spells to change the temperature of an oven, charms for fresher produce, a tricky little incantation for food preservation.

Ron was in his element.

They took a break for lunch where Ron and Harry wandered off for an ice cream, and then it was more Harry’s style for the afternoon.

A replication enchantment for scissors so they would cut multiples of a pattern, a spell to make needles follow the curve of a hem to sew a specific seam allowance, a very nice little spell to clean paintbrushes. 

They were done by four and the two boys immediately made their way to Flourish and Blotts to purchase all the books recommended. Some Harry wanted, some Ron wanted, and some they would share.

They had had such a good day, they didn’t expect to return home to news of another medical crisis for their sister-in-law.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Sam had run every test he could think of and cashed in favours old enough to drink to get the results fast. They needed to find out what was wrong with Solarin and they needed to know quickly. 

Sam had hooked her up to a drip so they could at least get some fluids into her, but the soup she’d managed to force down for him had come back up almost immediately, as if it had hit a trampoline in her stomach.

Once the results were back and he knew what was happening, he scrambled through his desk drawer to find his seldom used mobile phone.

Matthew Fisher was a brilliant doctor whose mother and sister were both witches. He and his two brothers were all Muggle like their father, and Sam had trained with him at med school. They’d done their rotations through Muggle hospitals together, and Sam had called him in a half dozen times over the last twenty or so years for a particular case. He more often called for a second opinion or a brainstorm, and a few times they’d gone out for a pint to catch up.

Matthew arrived within the hour, and Sam was incredibly grateful for his speed. The day was drawing to a close and as the sky began to grow rosy, Sam could feel the pull of the soon-to-rise moon. He needed to get home but Solarin needed him.

“My mother is never going to believe this,” Matthew said from the doorway. “An augur? My sister told me stories, about women who funnel magic through themselves, but I thought she was bullshitting me. How many people can say they’ve even met one, let alone treated one?”

“Us lucky few. Thanks for coming, Matt. The security didn’t give you a problem?”

“No, not once the messages were checked and they saw the note about letting me through. Didn’t look happy though, and I don’t think your colleagues are too happy about a Muggle on the premises.”

“No, they’re not,” he agreed, gathering up the notes and motioning him to follow. “Ignore them, they don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about, bigoted fuckers.”

“Jesus. It’s tonight, isn’t it?” Matthew breathed.

“Yes, tonight’s the first. Part of the reason I called. She needs help but I can’t be here. I have to leave really soon, so I need to hand her over to you. But I warn you. Sol’s a prickly customer. If you need help, her husband will be here and her brother can be called if you really need backup.”

“I’m sure I’ll get along.” He took the notes and read as they walked, a very useful skill both men possessed. “Well, the diagnosis is sound. Never seen it in a witch before to my knowledge. Do we know why?”

“No, not yet. I’ve called Bane to run some tests on her magic, find out what’s happening there. Should have been done long before now, if I’m honest.”

“Magnus Bane?”

“That’s the one.”

“Can’t wait to meet him.”

“Oh, you’ll love him. My dad will help you tonight, make sure you don’t have any problems with the rest of the staff, perform spells for you. This is us.”

Sam registered the shock on Matthew’s face, the way he stared, and smiled to himself.

Even as sick as she was, Solarin was still beautiful, and much more stubborn than someone literally starving had any right to be. She shouldn’t have the energy to be so stubborn but yet, here they were.

Sam had long suspected that Solarin exuded some kind of magnetic pull, a sort of charm on those around her that drew their attention. She had done it as long as he had known her, and they were starting to see it happen with Miri too. Everywhere Harry and Severus took her, people watched her, stared at her, smiled at her and cooed at her, more than other baby girls. He knew Solarin cast an unconscious Notice Me Not when out and about, and a very specialised memory charm that made sure she was forgotten, but when an augur was in the room it seemed no one was immune to their pull.

It was fascinating really.

“Water again?” Sam asked as Sol retched. It was bright orange, which was different.

“Juice,” Bill said, sweeping back her hair. “I think she’s about done though.”

It was only a few moments before Sol was able to talk to them.

“Solarin Weasley-Snape and her husband, Bill. This is Dr Matthew Fisher,” Sam introduced. “He’s a good friend and a better doctor, and he’s seen stuff like this before.”

“He’s a Muggle,” Sol said in surprise.

“My mum and sister are witches,” Matthew offered. “I assure you, I know how to keep a patient’s confidence, and I’m very qualified.”

Bill chuckled as he finished disposing of the emesis basin.

“Not what got her,” he said, perching on the bed. “She doesn’t spend a lot of time with Muggles nowadays. She wasn’t expecting one in a magical hospital.”

“Ah, I see.”

“You trust him?” Sol asked Sam.

“Absolutely. I trained with him, he’s really good. I trust him completely,” Sam promised.

“Okay then. You should go. Sun’s getting real low.”

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Dad will be floating around, he’ll do the magic bits of the surgery, and Matt can handle anything you throw at him. I’ll be back first thing, okay? Play nice with the poor sod?”

“I’ll do my best,” she assured. “Calm down Severus for me?”

“Absolutely.”

He briefly squeezed Bill’s shoulder before he left and it was up to Matthew to take over.

“Okay. Now, I haven’t read all your notes, there wasn’t time, but Sam has filled me in on the really important bits and I’ve read all the results from the tests today, and I agree on his diagnosis.”

“You know what’s happening to her?” Bill pressed.

“What’s happening is a condition called gastroparesis. It’s never been seen before in a witch but I have seen it and treated it before. What’s happened is that your stomach has become paralysed,” he said to Sol. “Food and drink go in but they’re not being digested and they can’t pass through to your intestines, so they come back up. Which means you’re dehydrated and you’re not getting any nutrition.”

“This sounds bad,” Bill murmured and she stroked his hair away from his face.

“I’m sure the good doctor can help,” she soothed. “We’ll figure things out, we always do.”

“I know, you’re right. I just…”

“I know, I know.” She leaned in and let him hold her for a moment before she turned again to the doctor. “Is there a cure?”

“That’s a thing we don’t know yet. In a Muggle, no, there’s not. We see improvement but not a cure. But you’re not a Muggle, and preliminary tests show your magic is already trying to correct what it did. Magnus Bane will come and do some tests on your magic, find those answers. For now, I’m just here to deal with the physical side of things, to manage the symptoms.”

“And we do that how?”

“Two main issues. First is getting something in you so you stop wasting away on us. Your tests show you’ve lost over a stone in weight in a week. That’s too much in too short a space of time. The second is allowing you to empty your stomach in a way that isn’t throwing it up. Prolonged vomiting can cause damage with all the acid.”

“How do we do those?” Bill asked.

“For getting things in, I want to place an NJ tube, a nasal jejunal tube. It goes up the nose, down the throat and through the stomach to the beginning of the intestines. From there we give liquid feed to get the nutrition into her.”

“How do you place that?” she said.

“It can be done while you’re awake but it’s fairly unpleasant. However, here’s where things get interesting. For getting things out without vomit, the standard procedure is a gastric valve. It’s a little tube in your stomach leading to an abdominal stoma. You open the stoma to drain the stomach. To do that we put you under. It’s going to be easier for you if we place the NJ at the same time.”

“You have to put me under?” she worried. “Is there no way to do it while I’m awake?”

“No, absolutely not,” he replied, fairly horrified that she would even think it. “For the stoma we literally cut a hole in your abdomen and put a tube in there. I wouldn’t even imagine doing it on a conscious patient.”

“How long will she need to be in?” Bill questioned, getting to the heart of the problem.

“Assuming everything gets placed right and works properly? Just tonight. Go home sometime tomorrow morning. Sam lives with you, he can handle everything after the surgery and you’ve got magical assistance in the healing process. You’ll be sore, and it’ll take some getting used to, but you can go home almost immediately.”

Matthew fell silent and watched as a silent conversation happened between the witch and wizard. They still had expressions, and every now and then one would sigh or growl in frustration, but there were no words spoken.

“Where do I sign?” she said eventually and Matthew held out the consent forms. 

“You’re not going to read it?”

“Nope,” she said, signing with a flourish. “Just get it done.”

He didn’t argue.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Charlie arrived at the hospital at just gone ten and when Bill was about to finally lose his mind. It was easier to handle her being put under this time around but it didn’t mean he liked it anymore. He had an overnight bag for Solarin and a care package for his brother.

“Here,” Charlie said, handing over the container he carried. “From Harry. He was worried you wouldn’t eat anything. He said it’s bad enough she’s not eating without you too.”

Bill managed a small smile as he pulled off the lid. Harry, bless him, had packed him a hearty helping of ratatouille, with a mini baguette and a bottle of juice to wash it down. He’d even packed a couple of slices of cake for after and some biscuits. Bill laughed so hard he had tears when Charlie pulled out a flask of tea.

“I love that kid.”

“I don’t think we can keep calling him a kid, or Ronnie. They’re grown, they have kids of their own.”

“I know. Remember when we met him? Fourteen and already tough as nails.”

“Tiny though.” He snorted. “Why do scary powerful witches and wizards come in tiny packages?”

“Gives a false sense of security. Is Dor behaving for them?”

“When I left, he was almost totally asleep, Harry was sewing with Dorian cuddled on his lap. I think the motion of the needle and the way Harry hums while he works is helping him settle. And Daven was getting milk drunk with Severus.”

Bill nodded in relief. He could feel the worry from his son and wanted to go home and comfort him, but Solarin needed him there. It was the part of fatherhood he hated, having to split himself. He felt he should count himself lucky that they had family around to help them out. He didn’t worry about his children being cared for while Solarin had another surgery. He knew they were in good hands, hands that he sometimes felt were better than his own.

If everything went well, he’d pop home in the morning to shower, and he’d bring the kids to see their mum.

“Sam managed to fill us in a bit,” Charlie said as Bill began to eat. “Said it might not be permanent like it would in a Muggle. Dad spoke to Magnus, he’s going to come by in the morning and figure out what she needs.”

“He have any clues?”

“Alec dropped in, needed some paperwork signed by Harry. He said Magnus was waist deep in books and old records, trying to find anything that might have happened like this before. It might help if there had been any kind of witch like her before, but eh.” He shrugged.

Bill managed a small smile and Charlie babbled away until his brother had something in his stomach. Then he pulled him in for a hug, the way he used to when they were small and Bill was picked on by some of the boys in the village when dad took them for a summer festival. Charlie had punched the little shits who made his brother cry and then hugged Bill until his shoulders came down from around his ears.

“She’ll be okay, she’ll come through this,” he said quietly but firmly, right to Bill’s ear so he had to hear it. “She is the toughest witch I’ve ever known. I know it looks bad right now, and it is, it is bad, but it will get better. If she can get through what the Ministry did and everything else she’s made it through, she can do this.”

“I can’t lose her,” Bill whispered, gripping at him with painful strength. “I can’t, I just can’t.”

“You won’t. We’ll fix this. Sam’s not worried like he was when she had the hysterectomy. Severus isn’t worried like then either. When they worry, then I will. Until then, I’ll just trust they know what they’re doing.”

Bill nodded but didn’t pull away and Charlie didn’t rush him. 

At almost midnight, a healer arrived looking tired but relieved.

“Matthew,” Bill sighed, going from laying on Charlie to standing in one fell swoop. “How is she?”

“In recovery,” he said, reaching out to shake Charlie’s hand. “Matthew Fisher.”

“Ah, the doctor Sam called in. Charlie Weasley, Bill’s brother. One of them”

“Good to meet you,” he said before he turned back to the worried husband, motioning him to the chairs so they could sit and talk. “She came through perfectly. We got both tubes placed and we flushed them both, so they’re both working fine. I’ll set her up on a slow feed, so we can get some nutrition into her and we can see the best speed for it. She’s in recovery right now, we’re just getting her settled, and then a nurse will take you down to her. I’m going to stay the night, camp out in Sam’s office, so I’ll be right here, but I don’t anticipate any problems.”

“What did you actually do?” Charlie asked.

“We put in two tubes. We put in a gastrostomy, which is a tube surgically placed in the abdomen. It’s a direct port to the stomach. It’s most commonly put in to give direct feeds, but for Solarin it’s so she can drain anything she consumes. It’s important that she keeps trying to eat.”

“Why?” Bill pressed. “If she keeps throwing up, wouldn’t it be better if she didn’t?”

“With this tube, as long as she’s maintaining a schedule of draining before she throws up, that won’t happen. So, when she starts feeling nauseous, she should drain. She needs to keep trying so her system doesn’t forget how to eat. If she goes too long without performing the action, the natural process of swallowing will actually atrophy and she won’t be able to.”

“Merlin,” he murmured to himself and Charlie rubbed his back, leaning in and resting his chin on his shoulder.

“Easy, Billy. She’s doing okay. It’s just new, just a new way of doing things.”

“Don’t call me Billy.”

“Make me stop, I dare you.”

“Wanker.”

“Twat.”

Bill managed a smile at that and Charlie sat back, nodding at Matthew to continue.

“We put in a second tube, a nasal jejunal tube. Fancy feeding tube that goes directly to the beginning of the intestines so she can get nutrition with a stomach on strike.”

“How long will she have these?” Bill asked.

“Minimum six weeks for the stoma, so the path through can be established. If she still needs it in six weeks, we need to replace to a steadier option, say to a button, which is a more long-term solution, less chance of it being pulled, more comfortable for the patient. For the NJ, only as long as she needs it. Once she can handle oral feedings and can consume the right amount of calories without our help, we can take it out.”

Bill nodded and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, and then looking up as a nurse appeared in the doorway.

“She’s all settled, if you want to come down?” she said cautiously.

“Yeah, I do. Charlie? Can you handle things at home?”

“Sure, no worries. I’ll handle the kids, keep things ticking. I’ll see you in the morning. Try to get some sleep? Just a little?”

“I’ll do my best,” he said with a smile as they stood. 

Bill hugged his brother, who whispered in his ear again that Sol was the toughest witch he’d ever known, and then followed the nurse down to Recovery where his wife was sleeping the sleep of the recently drugged.

She began to stir as he approached and he let her searching hand find his.

“Hey, baby,” he murmured, handing her bag to a nurse who set it on the bedside locker. “How you feeling?”

“Sleepy,” she mumbled. “Are we taking me home now?”

“Soon, baby, soon. Few hours to check through everything, make sure it all works. How’s it all feel?”

“My throat feels weird. Something stuck.”

“Just the new tube,” he promised, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Don’t poke at it or anything, don’t try to cough it up.”

“Keep it?”

“Yeah, keep it. How about your belly?”

“Tingly. Sore.”

“It’s just the numbing wearing off,” Matthew assured. She hummed and her voice cracked, making her wince. Matthew handed him a cup of ice cubes. “Melt it on her lips, get some moisture going.”

Bill perched on the edge of the bed and she smiled sleepily, rubbing his thigh.

[Hey, baby. Have a little of this. Don’t take it all, just a little,] he pushed as he ran it over her lips, her tongue darting out to tentatively catch the droplets.

“She with us?” Matthew pressed.

“Just about.”

“Solarin, I’m going to hook you up to the pump, it’ll deliver the liquid feed through your tube. We need to do this to make sure we’ve got the flow speed right and that you can handle it. You okay with that?”

“Okay,” she said, rubbing at her eyes.

Matthew did something with a syringe of clear liquid, pushing it into the NJ, and then pressing at the pump until it did something that pushed liquid through a long tube. It was a sort of cream colour and he assumed it was the feed. It reminded him of Daven’s formula. Bill personally thought his father might have been at the pump. It was running off slightly glowing crystals that might have been quartz but for the glowing pulsing red in the centre.

[It’s my blood,] she said. [I’m powering it.]

[Is that safe?]

[Matthew and Jack are sure of it. I like this guy. He’s good with the needles.]

[Good, huh?]

[Little pinch.]

[Ah. Arin? What? What’s up?] he pressed as she winced.

[Feels weird. Like my tummy’s gurgling.]

“Should it feel like that?”

“Like what?” Matthew urged. “Any pain?”

“No, she says it’s a gurgling.”

“That’s normal. Pain is bad, gurgling’s not. Before she goes home, I’ll teach you both to set this up and flush her lines and all that. For now, we just need the flow rate. We’ll run this feed for the next few hours, and then about breakfast we’ll check everything over. With any luck, she’ll be home by lunch.”

[See? I like him.]

“You might be her new favourite,” Bill joked. “Matthew, go get some sleep. It’ll run and she’ll rest, and then come back at it in the morning.”

[You go too.]

“What? Where am I going?”

[Home. Go sleep. I stay. Home later.]

He sniggered and pressed a kiss to her hair. “Okay. You’re the boss. I’ll bring the kids, hmmm? Cuddles with mummy.”

[Later,] she said, so sleepy she was barely with him.

[I’ll see you in the morning. Love you.]

“Love you,” she slurred in a whisper.

She was asleep before he reached the door.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Bill didn’t truly sleep, he just drifted, so he was well aware when there were tiny footsteps towards him come the dawn.

He lay there with his eyes closed listening to Dorian creep in and climb onto the ottoman at the end of his bed, grabbing onto the blankets to yank himself onto the mattress. Not for the first time he considered installing stairs up to their bed so their son would have an easier time of getting cuddles.

Very slowly, obviously trying to be so gentle and quiet, Dorian crawled up the bed and burrowed under the covers to cuddle close.

“Daddy?” he whispered, tapping at Bill’s arm. “Daddy, the sun’s awake.”

“Does that mean you want breakfast?” he asked with a smile, cracking open his eyes and opening his arms.

Dorian lounged across his chest, little elbow digging into his pec. 

“Want Mummy,” he confessed.

“I know. But breakfast first, bud. We’ll get dressed and have breakfast and then we’ll go see her, okay?”

“Pwomise?”

“I promise, buddy.”

The boy huffed dramatically and Bill chuckled. 

“I know, it’s so hard to wait. But Mummy’s not even awake yet. Were you good last night?”

“I helped wiv Daven.”

“I bet you were a big help.”

“I twied. She’s wiggly.”

Bill laid there and listened to his son describe his evening as the house came to life around them. Dorian had left the door open on his way in and he could hear the movement of those in the house.

The open and close of doors, the whine of old pipes, the creak of floorboards on old stairs. Maybe it was a good thing Harry wanted them all to move. The house was old, which gave it character, but more often than not the boiler wasn’t up to the challenge of so many people using hot water. The windows weren’t sealed properly, which meant the whole house was absolutely freezing in the winter, and the roof leaked when it rained too hard.

Not to mention that the walls were so thin that silencing charms were a necessity at this point for any kind of privacy.

Bill was just shifting Dorian’s knee out of his kidney when the sound of worried adult came from Dorian’s room. Whoever had come looking for Dorian was pulling at his sheets.

“He’s in here,” he called and was met by a relieved sigh before Harry appeared with Daven in his arms. She kicked and waved as she blew raspberries at him, which was her universal happy   
signal. “Morning.”

“Hi. I didn’t know he was up.”

“Eh, it’s a morning thing, isn’t it, buddy? You come for cuddles with me and Mummy.”

“When I waked up,” Dorian said. “We have bweakfast after.”

“That’s right. Go get started in the bathroom, I’ll come help in a moment.”

The little boy clambered off the bed and scampered away to do as he was told and Harry sat down as Bill sat up. He happily surrendered Daven when she practically threw herself out of his arms.

“How was he?”

“Good,” Harry assured. “Had a little trouble drifting off but he just wanted cuddles, so we weren’t worried. Severus spent the evening explaining about the digestive system and how it works and all that. Sam came in, told us what was wrong with her and disappeared to the basement.”

“Does he understand?”

“As much as a three year old can. He seems pretty comfortable with it all, he knows he needs to be careful of her new tubes, that she’ll have special food for a while. We tried to keep it pretty light for him, make it seem not scary.”

“Well, we’ll see how he actually does when I take them to see her. How about her?” he asked, nodding down at the baby determinedly trying to fit her whole foot in her mouth.

“Went off easy. It’s Severus. He’s so calm with them they just don’t even imagine that they should fuss.”

Harry gnawed at his bottom lip and Bill waited for him to come clean.

“Is this my fault?” he whispered.

“How could this be your fault?”

“The tower, when she saved me, when she stopped them. All that magic…did doing all that cause all this?”

“Do you want to reassuring answer or the honest answer?”

“Honest.”

“Maybe. We honestly don’t know,” Bill admitted. “Something triggered this, something made her magic start attacking her again, but we don’t know what. It might be that night, or it might be something else entirely. Bane’s going to test her, try and get to the bottom of all this. Harry, even if it is what happened, it’s still not your fault. She would have done it to save Ronnie.”

Harry nodded silently and let Bill pull him in for a hug. The older man let the younger take the comfort he needed and then they made a move.

Harry amused Daven and got her washed and dressed, while Bill helped Dorian get ready and then ready himself, and then they all headed down to breakfast.

Sam had settled himself on the floor on a large cushion at Remus’ feet, his head on the werewolf’s knee. Remus was feeding him bits from his own plate, offering his own mug to drink from, and no one offered comment on it.

Sam was Submissive to his Alpha, and with it being the morning after the first night of the full moon, he was feeling particularly vulnerable. He didn’t want to move from his Alpha, didn’t want to talk to anyone, wanted nothing but to curl at Remus’ feet and trust he’d be taken care of.

Magical anthropologists had, once upon a time, studied the dynamics of a werewolf pack. No one studied it anymore, most chose to believe all the propaganda about the creatures, but it was something Remus’ family were happy to learn.

Certain aspects of typical wolf behaviour were recognisable in the bipeds but a lot of behaviours couldn’t be explained. If it was still studied, maybe there would be more information. As it was they simply found what worked for them and followed it. It wasn’t like there was a class a fledgling werewolf could take to tell them how to behave. They had to hope for the best and try to stay out of trouble.

The wolf was always there, not just at the moon. It was always within Remus, always just under the surface. For Sam it was easier. As a Submissive Omega he wasn’t as much of a slave to his nature. Outside of the moon he could ignore it all fairly simply.

Remus wasn’t so lucky. He was always the Alpha, always Dominant. Around about the middle of the month his wolf was far quieter, more easy to ignore. More likely to let Sirius top him repeatedly and forcefully.

Right now he was fully Dominant, eyes darting around, always watchful of what was happening to his pack and the space they were in. Dorian, bless him, barrelled forwards to hug Remus and press kisses to his cheek. Daven was next, blowing raspberries and kicking as he shook her little hand.

It was her go-to expression, blowing raspberries. Happy, sad, excited, didn’t matter. She blew them whatever happened and it was a soundtrack to their days.

Bill bent and butted heads with Remus, one hand reaching down to stroke Sam’s hair, before he settled in his own seat, and then Harry came forwards, settling in Remus’ lap. The werewolf buried his nose in Harry’s neck, inhaling great lungful’s of his scent, combing his fingers through Harry’s messy hair. Sam, sensing that his Alpha’s pup was close, wriggled in, headbutting Harry’s hip until the pup reached down and stroked his hair, settling his hand on the back of his neck.

It was an old gesture, something that couldn’t be explained by anthropologists. No one knew why it worked, why it soothed a Submissive wolf so well, but as soon as a hand rested on the back of their necks, their entire nervous system relaxed and endorphins flooded their brains making them all happy and calm and compliant.

“Pup?” Remus murmured, chin resting on Harry’s shoulder. “You okay?”

“Worried about Sol,” Harry admitted, knowing Remus could smell it on him. Severus glanced up from where he was helping Miri with her breakfast, took in the scene and gave a small smile to acknowledge that Remus had it under control.

“I know. We all are. But I’m sure Sam’s friend is taking very good care of her.”

“He’s a really good doctor, pup. I promise,” Sam added, wanting the sour smell of worry to ease. It wasn’t a good smell on the pup. 

“Can you fix her?” Harry asked.

“We’re working on it.”

“Hello, hello!”

They looked around for the source of the voice before a bright purple portal opened in the corner and Magnus Bane stepped through, Alec Lightwood on his heels. Miri giggled and clapped.

“Good morning my lovely ones,” he said cheerfully He took in the scene and smiled gently at the Alpha. “Ah, I see. Well, I’m not one to mess with a pack. Where do you need us, Remus?”

Remus beckoned them both over and they obediently let him take their wrists and inhale deeply before he nodded and they were free to join the table.

Sam sniffed cautiously and gave a small whine, but Remus settled him with a low huff, telling his packmate that these were friends and welcome in their territory. The lesser wolf settled back into taking comfort from the Alpha pup.

It was a strange thing, to know that the magical pup was a higher rank than the full werewolf, but it seemed natural to them. Harry and Nixie were both Alpha pups, both considered just below Remus and Sirius in the hierarchy of their family, but neither of them ever used it to overpower him.

“How did she fare the night?” Magnus posed as he selected a croissant from the platter of pastries.

“She came through surgery, and Matthew was happy with how the tubes were working. I left when he was running the first feed,” Bill said, helping Dorian pour some juice. “She seemed really calm all things considered. Have you any idea what happened?”

“Some, though nothing concrete,” the warlock said grumpily. “Such a complicated witch! She couldn’t be a regular witch and get something I know how to fix!”

“She’s never been a regular anything,” Severus chuckled. “Why on earth would she start now?”

Magnus stuck his tongue out in childish annoyance.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Solarin was actually awake when they arrived and she happily accepted Daven from Severus, but Dorian hung back, hugging Bill’s leg.

“Hey, baby boy,” she cooed. “It’s okay, baby. You won’t hurt me. Come on, come for a cuddle.”

“Pwomise?” he whispered.

“I promise. Come on, I’ll show you.”

He let Bill lift him onto the mattress as Sam went to talk to Matthew and carefully crawled closer. 

Solarin was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a sports bra so what had happened was completely visible. Bill had known she was losing weight but it didn’t really hit him until he saw how starkly her ribs stuck out, just how thin she’d gotten.

[I’ll put it back on,] she assured.

“Look, baby,” she said, leaning back a little. “See? This is so I won’t throw up anymore. I can just open this and it’ll all drain out, like a tap.”

“Does it huwt?” he asked, carefully stroking the white dressing around the tube protruding from her abdomen.

“It’s kind of sore, right now, because it’s new, but it doesn’t really hurt.”

“Does that huwt?” he queried, pointing at the one going up her nose that Daven was watching move, her little fingers flexing.

“Nope, not a bit. Did someone explain what it does?”

“Uncle Sevewus said your tummy doesn’t wowk wight now, so you need help. That’s what that one does. You have special milk like Daven, in that.”

“That’s right. See my pump?” she urged, motioning to the machine and Dorian stared at it before looking back to his mother. “See, that’s my special milk, which is how I’ll get all the stuff I need until I’m all better. And the pump is pushing it through the tube so it goes where it’s supposed to be.”

“No,” he said, catching Daven’s hand. “Don’t pull Mummy’s tube. She needs it.”

She blew a raspberry at him and he smiled, kissing her on the nose before settling into a free spot on Sol’s lap and cuddling in. The baby kept hold of his hand and set to exploring it and he let her.

“Good morning, crumpet,” Magnus said, perching on the end of the bed. 

“I vaguely remember you being mentioned last night.”

“I’m going to run some tests on your magic, find out why it attacked you again.”

“Will it huwt Mummy?” Dorian piped.

“Not a bit,” Magnus assured. “It’s just like pulling a curtain back. I’ll pull the curtain and see Mommy’s magic. And once I can see it I can see what’s happening, see why she’s sick.”

“Mummy’s magic is bad.”

“No, baby,” she countered, stroking his dark curls. “It’s just being a little naughty right now. It’s not bad, magic isn’t bad. It’s just not behaving right now. But remember what me and Daddy said? About being naughty?”

“Is okay to be naughty sometimes. Being naughty isn’t being bad,” he recited.

“Exactly. Very good.”

Dorian was persuaded to go off with Alec and Daven to see if they could find some ice lollies while Magnus did his thing. The Shadowhunter looked really comfortable holding the baby and swinging Dorian, and Magnus went all googly eyed.

“And I’m back,” he said once the door closed. “Forgive me.”

“No explanations needed. I have a handsome man holding my children on a daily basis,” Sol said with a smile at Bill.

Bill smiled at Matthew as he joined them, Severus settling in to hug Sol close and murmur into her hair how worried he’d been.

“Dr Matthew Fisher,” he introduced, shaking Magnus’ hand. “It’s an honour to meet you.”

“Well, thank you. From a medical standpoint, is she strong enough for me to do my thing?”

“She’s doing wonderfully. Honestly, I don’t usually have patients that bounce back quite so fast. No signs of infection, no massive pain, the dehydration is under control. I’m happy to discharge her when you are. Well, obviously we need to do some aftercare, basic instructions and that, how to clean the tubes and set up feeds, but she’s basically good to go.”

“Perfect! And you, my dear,” he said, turning to the witch. “How do you feel?”

“Sore, but better.”

“Very good. Ready for me to take a look?”

“Sure.”

He motioned Severus off the bed and got them all to stand back before getting Solarin to lay flat. Bill shuddered at how far the bottom of her ribs stuck out, how concave her stomach was. Her hipbones had never pressed that hard against her skin before. Once she was comfortable, Magnus began to chant, his hands moving in intricate and complicated patterns over her prone form, and slowly colour began to gather across her skin. It sparkled and danced along her pale flesh and gradually began to rise into the air.

The sparkling pattern of tiny stars swarmed above her, dancing like a flock of birds in an absolute rainbow of colours. 

“Very beautiful,” Magnus murmured. “You should be very proud of the woman you raised, Severus. Her soul is dazzling.”

“That’s my soul?” she asked as Severus smiled.

“A representation of it. I have to raise this before I separate the representation of your magic. For a witch like you, the two are so tightly twined that it’s impossible to raise one without the other. They have to be shown together and then separated.”

He once again began to chant and motion, and slowly there began a separation. The colours started to sink, hovering just above her skin, leaving just bright white light at Magnus’ eyeline. 

It was obvious that there was something wrong.

Most of it was bright and pure, but right in the centre, curled into a tight ball, was a mass of black and red. Every few moments the ball would lash out, a tendril snaking out to slap at her soul before shrinking back on itself and trembling.

“There it is, there’s the problem,” Magnus said. “That part is very unhappy.”

“Why?” Sam pressed.

“Not sure yet. Bear with me. This is very delicate magic, it has to be done in a certain order. Sol, are you still okay?”

“I’m fine,” she assured. “Keep going.”

So Magnus did and by the time Alec returned with the kids, they had all the answers.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Bill found Harry in the garden, watching Miri play, surrounded by his considerable collection of coloured fabric.

He seemed to be making little lightly padded donuts with snap fasteners, favouring soft patterned cotton. 

“Hermione took me to the shop,” Harry said as Bill sat down with him on his blanket. Miri trundled over and gave him a kiss and a daisy she’d pulled from the grass before returning to her play. “She showed me how to use the internet and I found a pattern for this.”

“Right. What exactly is it?”

“They’re called tubie pads. It’s to go around Sol’s g-tube. The one she has on her tummy. It’ll stop it rubbing.”

Bill smiled softly and carefully plucked the needle and project from Harry’s hands. 

“It’s not your fault,” he said, gentle but firm. “It’s nothing to do with what happened, completely unrelated to what she did that night.”

“Really?”

“Really. When she was a little girl her father hated magic. So she suppressed it. And again when she was in her late teens. That part of her magic that was suppressed, it’s like a terrified child. It’s trapped inside her and it’s lashing out in fear.”

“I didn’t do it?” Harry whispered and Bill pulled him into a fierce hug.

“Not even a little bit.”

Harry let himself sink into the hug and enjoyed the comfort for a while until he felt a little steadier.

“Can it be fixed?” he asked as he settled back into his spot.

“There lies the problem,” Bill admitted. “She replenishes her magic too fast. What she needs to do is drain enough that the trapped old magic is set free. But new magic floods in too fast to tempt it out. Actually, Magnus thinks what she did in the Tower might have helped, brought this all to the surface so we could find out what’s happening.”

“But…wouldn’t that just have pissed off the old magic?” Harry suggested.

“Eh, maybe. We can’t know what set it off. All we know is that she’s doing better and Magnus is working on a solution.”

“How does this tube thing work?”

“She has a liquid feed, Dor thinks of it like Daven’s milk. We put it into a pump, and it gets fed to her continuously. The tube goes up her nose, down her throat and through her stomach, directly to the beginning of her intestines. This way there’s nothing to throw up and she’s getting nutrition.”

“Does it hurt?”

“No. She says it feels weird but not painful. The g-tube is sore. It should be painful but she’s done her quick healing thing again.”

Harry nodded and fell quiet, the two of them sitting in companionable silence until Dorian came pelting out, followed slowly by Solarin carrying Daven.

“Am I interrupting?” she asked as Bill took the baby.

“Of course not,” Harry assured, packing his sharp things away. “I made you these.”

She settled on the grass with them and put her backpack close. It held her pump and seemed to be a permanent fixture for the foreseeable future. She admired the fabric circles and smiled but obviously had no clue what to do with them.

“Show him your g-tube,” Bill suggested.

Shockingly, as Matthew and Sam had examined the surgical site before her discharge, they discovered that Solarin had done the large amount of healing needed. Therefore they had switched out the temporary dangling tube for the more long term button model. 

The button was very small and discreet, a simple plastic port that stuck out only a few centimetres. It had two access points, one that fed directly to her intestines so she could be given oral medicines (of which Matthew had prescribed many) and one that went to her stomach so she could drain anything she ate or drank.

“That’s kind of nifty,” Harry said as she pulled up her shirt.

At her nod, he carefully pulled away the sterile gauze Matthew had put in place and replaced it with one of the pads he’d made. It was hot pink and patterned with ice creams.

“That’s really cool,” she said with a smile, angling it so she could see the pattern. “Comfy too.”

The rest of the family began to trickle out to join them, the kids happily playing together, the adults generally lounging.

Harry smiled as Ron and Hermione appeared, each setting down a twin to crawl off. The redhead made his way over with a huge smile, waving that days paper.

“Did you know that I’m startlingly handsome?” he crowed as he settled down in between Harry and Ginny.

“Startlingly thick maybe,” Ginny said, grinning.

“Mock all you like-”

“I usually do.”

“But the great Wizarding public think I’m handsome.”

He handed the paper over to his friend, where Harry saw that they had been photographed the day before, coming out of the workshop.

“Where the hell did they even hide to take this?” Harry complained. “Seriously. Where even were they?”

“Not a clue,” Ron agreed. “But you’ve got to laugh at them, mate. They’re stupid people with no lives of their own, so they’re stuck on yours. They’re nice pictures though.”

“Yeah, I guess.” He skimmed the article and angrily threw it across the grass. “The witches at the group.”

“Yeah. I guess they caught them in the Alley after,” Ron agreed. “At least they were nice about you.”

“They should have kept their mouths shut.”

“Meadow didn’t comment.”

Harry sighed and nodded and they all noticed how his mood had darkened.

Miri was the immediate remedy for it. She trundled over and threw herself at her Carrier, little arms around his neck, pressing kisses to his cheek.

“Caya no sad!” she declared and he giggled.

“Okay, I’ll try not to be sad.”

She settled herself in his lap and accepted the bottle of juice Severus had brought out with him. The tall man sat down and pressed kisses to Harry’s neck.

“Thank you, Daddy.”

“You’re very welcome, sweetheart. Have a bit of a drink and then off you go to Mad-Eye.”

“A play!”

“Yes, time to play with Mad-Eye.”

She gulped away at her juice for a while and then carefully placed it on the blanket. She then stood up, pressed a kiss to Harry’s cheek and then toddled into the house to find the Auror.

She’d begun her lessons to hone her Augur abilities shortly after her first birthday. They always referred to it as playing with Mad-Eye, or games with the grizzled wizard. Severus remembered trying to get Solarin to do the same lessons and it had never gone well. If she hadn’t wanted to do her lessons, wild horses couldn’t drag her to them. 

It was easier to make it something fun with Miri rather than a thing she had to do.

“I was thinking,” Harry said as Severus moved closer, pulling Harry between his long legs so he could hold him close. “When do we start looking? Because finding her the right one is going to be a hard thing, right?”

“I’m a little lost, love. You’ve brought me in half-way again.”

“Oh. Sorry. I was talking about a school for Miri. Finding her a primary school, even a nursery…they’re going to be hard to find right?”

“I assumed you’d want to educate her traditionally,” Severus said carefully.

“But…isn’t that sending her to school?”

“Oh! I see the problem here. I’m thinking of the Wizarding traditions and you were raised in the Muggle world. I see now. Traditionally, magical children are educated at home until Hogwarts. I know it’s different in the Muggle world, but that is how it is usually done here. I assumed you would want to do it that way for her.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that. Wait. Sol went to a school.”

“Yes, she did, but she was the exception, not the rule. I had to work, there was no other parental figure that could stay home with her, and she was an only child who needed socialization. For those reasons, and others, school was really the only option for she and I at the time.”

“Severus never wanted to send me to school,” Solarin said, laying back to cushion her head on Bill’s belly. Daven was sat by her side, leaning against her to stay upright and happily examining the stuffed bunny Bill had given her. “But I had to go. I needed to learn what it was like to be around other minds in a classroom setting. Miri’s different. She has the other children in the house, she’s surrounded by magical minds. Truly, she doesn’t need Hogmites.”

“Hogmites?” Ron asked. “I think I remember mum and dad arguing about that place once. Something about a neighbour sending their kid there. Dad didn’t see a problem but mum went ballistic.”

“I went there,” Sirius said as he joined them. “Only so my parents could show off what a Pureblood they’d made to other parents. Cost my father a pile of gold to get me in. It’s pretty exclusive.”

“Indeed,” Severus agreed. “It’s one of only two magical primary schools in the country. The rules for admittance are incredibly limiting. Honestly, none of the children qualify because there are multiple children in the house.”

Sam and Remus made their way over and the healer looked regretfully at Solarin. 

“I need to hook you up,” he said, holding out the bag of fluids. “It’s a hot day and you can’t really take oral fluids.”

“No problem. Which one?”

“Button.”

She pulled up her top and Harry watched interestedly as Sam cleaned it before he flushed it with a small syringe, looked to Sol and waited for her nod, before attaching the bag to her and using a hover charm to keep it in the air.

It made pretty rainbows where the sunlight passed through it, and Daven was absolutely mesmerised. 

Sam settled with Remus and Sirius, cuddling close to his Alpha and tangling his fingers with Sirius’. The two men happily set to touching him, stroking his hair and petting his arms and back. It wasn’t long before he was letting out soft little purrs. 

“I didn’t know werewolves purred,” Hermione commented. “Did I miss that in the books?”

“No, it’s not in them,” Harry confirmed. “It’s a rare thing, not usually witnessed by people outside a pack. It’s considered very…Remus?”

“It’s a very intimate thing,” Remus supplied, having educated his children on the very private habits of a mature werewolf. “There’s no record of anyone outside of a pack ever having witnessed it. It’s reserved for when a wolf feels completely calm and safe, when they know without a doubt that they are loved and protected.”

She looked fascinated by the idea and they let her be as she got a far away look in her eyes. She’d talk when the information settled in her mind, once it slotted into what she already knew of werewolves.

Sirius smiled gently, remembering the very first time he had ever heard Remus purr. It was the morning after their wedding night. He’d woken to the rising Parisian sun and revelled in the delightful ache of muscles well used. Then he’d noticed the gentle rumble under his ear where it pressed against Remus’ chest.

It was the first time Remus had ever felt so completely safe, and it was only when he was completely alone with Sirius.

He’d felt so very loved.

He knew that Remus knew exactly what was going through his head when Remus reached over Sam’s head and tangled his fingers in Sirius’ hair, pulling him in for a sweet kiss.

“I love to purr for you, my sweetheart.”

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

It was Midea that saw the signs.

She arrived for her evening tending of the gardens, and as always she lingered by the orchid.

Even without blooming it was still beautiful. It was larger than most of the bushes they had in the gardens, but its leaves were thin and fluted. Swirling around the stem where the plant emerged from the earth were bright sparks of energy. She couldn’t use the energy, no one in the city could, but the Blessed Ones would use them. Once the Blessed Ones were ready to appear, the sparks would find their home.

Legends told of a beautiful bloom. Long petals and searing colours, and a fragrance that pervaded the entire city.

It was Midea that was watching and praying to the High Spirits that saw when the bud appeared. The breeze wafted through the long leaves and pushed them aside, revealing the tiny protrusion.

It was so unexpected, she didn’t realise what she was actually looking at until the High Priestess touched her shoulder.

As with all their people, when their skin made contact, a scattering of glowing freckles appeared and faded, showing the energy within them. They were the people of light, the watchers. They contained the energy needed to serve. It was one of the saddest parts of her mothers fading. She no longer manifested the scattering, and all three of her daughters missed it. Their mothers scatter had been beautiful.

“It is late,” Amala said gently. She never did anything if it wasn’t gentle. She was older than all the other High Priestesses, and only took one apprentice at a time. The gardens were a highly coveted position to have.

“I was communing with the High Spirits,” she confessed. “I thought…it’s a good way to clear the mind.”

“Indeed. I know the wait is frustrating, but the Order positions will be announced. I’m sure the Fates have favoured your sister.”

“Thank you.”

“You spend much time with the Orchid. You know, not even I have seen a bloom.”

“Has the High Median?”

“No. No one in living memory has.”

“I fear our people lose faith. It is hard to be patient with no proof. I fear they lose faith in the High Spirits.”

“This is why it’s called faith. Something without proof is always harder than something that can be seen and touched.”

She nodded and tried to believe it.

“I worry about the Orchid. There’s a growth on it.”

“What? Where?” Amala asked worriedly.

Midea carefully moved aside the leaves and pointed it out to her, and when she did, she saw dozens of others. Together they inspected the Orchid and discovered hundreds, maybe thousands of them. 

Amala immediately woke every member of the Order, who all crowded around to watch as more sprouted.

“Is it dying?” Midea asked, tears in her eyes.

“No,” the High Median assured, stroking her hair. He smiled at her, tears flowing down his cheeks. “It is blooming. They are buds. The Orchid will bloom. The Blessed Ones have come.”

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Harry sighed as Hermione peered out the window again.

“We don’t even know if they’re coming today,” Nixie said, helping herself to another waffle.

“Every other year, they’ve arrived by now,” Hermione argued.

“But those weren’t N.E.W.T.’s were they?” Ron asked.

“Well that shouldn’t make a difference!” his wife snapped.

Harry stayed out of it. Their exam results would arrive when they arrived. Watching the widow wasn’t going to make anything happen any quicker.

Severus leaned in and captured his lips in a gentle kiss.

“You don’t have to open it, love,” he assured. “I can open it if you prefer. You don’t have to have anything to do with the school if you do not wish.”

“I don’t know,” he said in a whisper, toying with Severus long fingers. “I want to know how I did, I worked hard for it. But…I don’t want to think about…you know.”

“Of course. Decide when it arrives. Perhaps the decision will be easier once the envelope arrives. However, let us talk of other things. Your birthday. What would you like to do this year? Another party? Or we could go out for dinner, just we two. Or something else you want to do?”

“Can we…”

Severus leaned in and kissed him, stopping him from chewing on his lower lip.

“Ask, love. I can’t possibly say yes if I don’t know.”

“Can we do the zoo trip? The one you were planning? We never got to do it, and…I kind of wanted it.”

“I forgot all about that,” he said with a small smile. “And Miri’s walking and fairly independent now. She’d really enjoy it now.”

He knew that making it about Miri would ease the way for Harry to express his own desires. If Harry could take the limelight off of himself it would be much easier for him.

“Will there be a petting zoo?” he asked excitedly. “Like…little fluffy things she can pet?”

“I believe so. I remember unicorns in the brochure. I’ll start organising it this afternoon.”

Harry wriggled in anticipation and Severus smiled to himself, sharing a glance with Remus, before turning his attention to the owls landing on their windowsill.

“Oh, God,” Hermione breathed. “It’s them. It’s them!”

Charlie sleepily shuffled over and relieved the envelopes from the four owls waiting. They politely held out their legs one by one and then gave a small hoot before they took off again. Charlie handed out the envelopes and shuffled back to his seat, slumping over the table. He’d had a long shift that had finished at five AM and he had yet to sleep. He was finally coming down off the adrenaline high of wrestling a juvenile for several hours.

Nixie was the first to open her envelope. She took a quick scan of them before handing it over to Sirius, who beamed and passed it to Remus.

“Oh, sweetheart,” the werewolf said. “You’ve done so well! O’s in Herbology and Potions, Charms, Defence and Transfiguration are all E’s, and an A in Arithmancy.”

There was a round of applause and then they waited to see who was the next one brave enough to open their envelope.

It was Ron. Like Nixie, he scanned it, smiled to himself and then handed it to Arthur.

“Well done, Ron! Four O’s, Charms, Defence, Transfiguration and Herbology, and an A in Potions.”

They clapped for the redhead and waited, looking between Harry and Hermione. 

Hermione was the first one to crack. She ripped open the envelope and frantically read through it before bursting into tears. Ron plucked it from her fingers and grinned as he read it.

“Seven O’s, a straight flush,” he announced, handing it off to his dad before pulling her into a hug and kissing her, murmuring over and over that he was so proud of her.

That left just Harry.

He stared at the envelope. It looked so innocent, laying there on the table, but he just couldn’t touch it. Every time he tried, all he could see was that room in the tower. 

He’d been so proud of himself for getting through the exams, and the party was tradition. There wasn’t a reason in the world why he hadn’t been able to go to it. He’d been having such a good time. Until Lucius had ruined it. One of the happiest nights of his life had turned into one of the worst, and that envelope was a symbol of it.

“I can’t,” Harry whispered.

Severus didn’t question it, nor did he pass comment, he simply pressed a kiss to Harry’s forehead and grabbed the envelope.

“Miri, do you want to open the letter?”

“Me open!”

He passed it to her and she abandoned the apple she’d been working on. She carefully ran her little fingers over the ink on the front, mouthing the words to herself, before she looked to Severus.

“Caya letter?”

“Yes, it’s Carrier’s letter. Do you remember going to Hogwarts, so he could do his exams?”

“Yes.”

“This letter tells us how he did in the exams. Do you want to open it for him?”

She nodded and began to peel it open, careful not to rip the actual letter inside, and then pulled it out, waving it above her head.

“Can I have it now?”

She held it out and he read through it, smiling.

“Straight flush. Full O’s. Charms, Defence, Herbology, Transfiguration and Potions.”

Harry got his round of applause like the others and Severus pulled him into his lap, holding him close and nuzzling into his neck.

“You’ve done so well, love,” he murmured. The family were bustling around, eating and drinking, chatting amongst themselves to give them privacy. “I am so very proud of you.”

“I did it,” he said, slightly stunned.

“You did.”

“I passed!” he said breathlessly, smiling at his husband. He tangled his fingers in Severus’ hair and pulled him in for a kiss, which the elder wizard happily surrendered to. “I don’t know what to do with them. I got five N.E.W.T.’s, but I don’t know what to do with them.”

“You needn’t do anything with them. Just having them is achievement enough. Perhaps one day you will use the qualifications to do something, but for now they are a thing to celebrate of themselves.”

Harry settled into his chest and Severus let him be. Things since that night in the Tower had been a little tense. Severus no longer knew everything that would set his lover back, or trigger an episode. 

When Severus had first rescued Harry, he had learnt what would and wouldn’t work for him. Over time he’d learnt more and more of what was and wasn’t okay and they had done well with it all. It hadn’t been perfect but it was as good as they could have expected.

Now, Severus wasn’t sure what Harry had seen or heard in that room. His lover hadn’t talked about it enough for Severus to be sure of what had happened exactly. It was like going backwards.

“Can we have lunch in the garden?” Harry murmured.

“Absolutely. Sirius! Break out the fire. We’ll have a barbecue to celebrate.”

“Excellent,” the Animagus said and Remus chuckled.

“Pyromaniac.”

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

It took a few days for Solarin and Bill to reach a comfort with the new medical issues she had. They slowly got to grips with her tubes and medications and their daily lives became calm once more.

Enough for Solarin to be ready to help Tonks and Mad-Eye with the mounting evidence against Albus Dumbledore.

Tonks had been the first to ask her, a simple suggestion over breakfast before her health had taken a nosedive. Then Mad-Eye, just after she was diagnosed. Finally, Magnus had come to her the day before and asked for her help. To be honest, her abilities were something they needed. Albus had been giving them the run around. He was truthful, as the Veritaserum ensured he would be, but he wasn’t actually honest. He was managing to tell them the truth without telling them anything of value. 

“I know it’s a lot to ask right now,” Tonks said apologetically as she and Sol made their way to her office.

“Don’t be silly. I said I’d help.”

“Yeah, but there’s kind of a lot going on with you right now.”

“I’m portable,” she joked, shrugging the shoulder her pump was hanging from. It fit very well in her favourite backpack, and with a few clever cuts and some hemming, she didn’t even need to open it to connect to it. Her tube snaked in through a little buttonhole Harry had cut for her in the top. Her hair hid it quite well.

“Well, at least you don’t have to break for lunch. Here we are.”

“Wow. That’s…that’s a lot of parchment,” she said, staring at it all.

“Don’t panic, it’s not all about Dumbledore. I have a dozen cases going on right now.”

“Reminds me of your bed in the dorms.”

“I wasn’t quite this bad!”

“You were pretty close.” Sol took a seat in the chair Tonks unearthed for her and managed not to giggle as her friend scaled her way over and around the mountains. “I think they might be overworking you.”

“Nah, I like it. Ah! Here it is,” she said, holding up a folder. “These are the latest things we’ve unearthed. It’s incredible how many places he’s hidden papers. And money! That’s everywhere! A dozen different vaults in Gringotts, all under random names. About two dozen Muggle accounts. And we’re still finding them.”

Solarin read through the papers she was given and used a quill of red ink to mark things she needed to remember. Mad-Eye would be in the room when she talked to Albus but it would be her that would question him. A lot of it wasn’t useful to her. Many things she didn’t need to know but would be helpful to Mad-Eye and the others.

There was, however, a certain set of payments that caught her eye.

“Uh, Tonks? You do know that this one is a dead Muggle author, right?”

“What? That can’t be right.” She looked at what was being indicated and frowned. “Antonio Machado. So that’s where the Hogwarts skim went. That’s the biggest payment we’ve seen yet, and all to one person. We thought maybe it had been broken up but that looks like every knut he skimmed from the school. Who the hell is he paying this to?”

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Solarin carefully turned off her pump and disconnected herself. She didn’t need to give Albus any more ammunition against her. He already had her entire childhood to hurt her with, he didn’t get to have this too.

“Ready?” Mad-Eye asked.

“As I’ll ever be.”

He opened the door and she entered the Ministry holding cell.

Time in Ministry custody had not been kind to Albus Dumbledore. He was thinner than he used to be, his beard and hair were lank and thin, his hands trembled.

For the first time in her memory, he looked to be his age, and a 150 year old man was not a healthy sight.

“Solarin,” he breathed, relieved to see her, and then he frowned. “What’s happened to you?”

“My stomach is paralysed. We’re working on it. But we’re not here to talk about me,” she said, taking the empty seat. “You’ve been given Veritaserum but no one trusts that you don’t have a countermeasure. All the things we’ve found lead us all to the conclusion that you can’t be trusted. So I’ve been asked to question you and use my abilities to determine whether or not you’re lying to me. Do you understand what I’ve told you?”

He nodded.

“Good. Now, down to it. Did you know what they were doing to Harry? Did you know he was being abused while under the care of the Dursleys?”

“I did.”

“And you did nothing? Not a single thing?”

“I couldn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because…”

She watched as he warred with himself, wanting to stay quiet but being unable. Not only had he been dosed with Veritaserum, he was also under a compulsion charm, which would put more and more pressure on his mind to force an answer out of him.

She knew that the wall to her right was false. A magical barrier made to look like a wall, behind which stood Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood. Joining them were almost a dozen witches and wizards and creatures, all waiting to see what she could get out of him. Up until that moment, he’d managed to evade their questions.

There were no more evasions for him.

“The world had changed,” Albus eventually said. “I had lived through one dark wizard ruling our world, and the fight against him. I knew that this dark wizard would return, and I knew one day we would have to fight him. Harry was our best chance against him.”

“You knowingly let him be starved, beaten, neglected and verbally and emotionally tortured for ten years without doing anything because you thought Voldemort MIGHT return?”

“No! I knew he would. And he did!”

“And for that to be averted, for him to be stopped, you sacrificed a child?”

“Better one than hundreds.”

She took a deep breath and centred herself. It would help nothing if she lost her temper.

“Molly Weasley. Did she know what you wanted for Harry? When you asked her to go to Kings Cross and befriend Harry, did she know you were raising Harry like a lamb to the slaughter?”

“No. She was unaware.”

“What did you tell her?”

“That he needed to be shown, but wouldn’t ask for help.”

“And you didn’t say anything about the Dursleys or what they’d put him through?”

“No.”

“Later, when Harry begged you to let him stay at Hogwarts for the summer. Why did you say no?”

“He had to go back. It was imperative that he go back.”

“Why?”

“So he would remain submissive.”

“Let me see if I understand,” she hissed. “You sent that sweet innocent boy back to those…those people! Knowing what you were sending him back to. And you did it so he would turn to the one father figure he had: you?”

“Yes.”

Mad-Eye crossed to her and leaned in close.

“Keep it under control, young lady,” he said gruffly. “I know how it feels to hear all this but we need you to do this.”

“I don’t think I can,” she admitted. 

“You can. You’re stronger than you realise.”

She leaned into him and let her mind brush his. He squeezed her shoulder to let her know he was aware of her presence and was happy with it. She tapped into his strength and let it steady her before she nodded.

“When you brought Dorian to us,” she said, a sudden idea happening upon her, and Albus’ eyes widened. “It wasn’t me you wanted to have him, was it?”

“No.”

“Who?”

“Harry. I wanted him to go to Harry. I did not anticipate your interference.”

“Interference,” she repeated, standing and pacing, too upset to sit and look at him. She could read him just as well, and at least this way she didn’t have to look at his damn blue eyes. “Must have been a real thorn in your side when I stepped in. Tell me, is there any single member of my family you haven’t manipulated for your own selfish needs?”

“Selfish? I have done what I have done to protect the wizarding public!”

“Did you intend for Harry to survive the war?”

He looked shocked. “No,” he admitted quietly. “I did not.”

“Because if he’d died, you’d have a nice martyr to stand behind. You could rally people to you even more than you already did. You wouldn’t even need to have anything to do with taking a political office. I can just see it. Saviour of the Wizarding World trusted you completely! Of course, everyone should listen to you.” She took a deep breath and shook out her hands. “Sweet Merlin, I don’t even know which charge I want to put to you. Probably a waste of time. I’m guessing you’re guilty of everything.”

“Solarin, please,” he begged. “You need to understand.”

“Did you know?” she asked suddenly. “When I came to the Ministry. Did you know what they’d do to me? Did you know what happened to the others like me?”

Again, he fought against it, but this time her patience was gone.

“Answer me!” she snapped.

“Yes,” he ground out. “I knew.”

She stumbled back, leaning against the wall and pressing a fist to her stomach. Her other hand rose to her mouth and she willed herself not to throw up. She’d managed some strawberries that morning in a smoothie and so far it had been sitting well. She’d need to drain soon, but she wanted it to stay down as long as possible.

“What they made of me…what I became…you knew,” she whispered. “All those people…how could you do that? I trusted you, Severus trusted you.” 

“Do you need a break?” Tonks asked from her seat by the door, and she felt the weight of eyes upon her. The room held a half dozen other aurors to keep things under control.

“No. No, I don’t want a break.” She sniffed and wiped at her eyes before she looked at the old wizard once more. “Sirius? Remus? How about Nixie? Everything that’s been done under your fucking nose! You knew about all of it, didn’t you? You could have done something! Oh, but if you did, if you kept Sirius free and he and Remus stayed together, they would have taken Harry. You let them take an innocent man to Azkaban for over a decade! All to fit your twisted agenda! Were you aware of what Umbridge was doing to Remus?”

“Yes,” he said, resigned. She could sense no more deception from him. He knew she was done being patient. “I knew, and yes, I could have intervened.”

She had to change the topic. She knew that if she didn’t, if she kept talking about all the pain her family had been through, she would do something very painful and possibly creative to the old wizard. “How long have you been skimming money off the school accounts?”

“Twenty years.”

“What made you start skimming?”

“I needed more gold than I had. Money opens a lot of doors.”

“Yeah, it does. Including this one.” She threw the papers on the table before him. “Antonio Machado. We can’t find this one. It’s a hell of a payment. And here, more payments. Thousands of Galleons sent to this one man who doesn’t exist.”

“Solarin, please. Do not ask of this,” he begged and it was like a shark scenting blood in the water. Of all the things she’d asked, all the secrets he’d kept, this was the one he really wanted to bury.

“No. I’m asking. And you will answer. Did you make these payments?”

“Yes.”

“And were they to a person? This money, you didn’t simply hide it away as a nest-egg?”

“No. It was to a person.”

“Antonio Machado is an alias?”

“It is.”

“For who?”

“Please.”

“Who is this?”

“I can’t. Please!”

“Last chance,” she warned. “You tell me or I go find it, and you won’t like me digging. Who did you send the money to!”

Her smoothie rose up in her throat as the face rose up in Albus’ mind. Tonks, who had seen much of her adjustment to gastroparesis and recognised the signs, shoved the wastepaper basket under her chin in time to catch the spew of pink. Mad-Eye held her up, murmuring soothing nonsense as she gripped at his coat, gathering up her hair.

“I’m okay,” she gasped. “I’m okay.”

“Here.”

She took the glass of water one of the aurors was holding out and rinsed her mouth.

“Thank you.”

It took a few minutes for her to regain herself and then she could barely look at Albus.

“Tell me I’m wrong,” she said, forcing down her tears. “Tell me I’ve read you wrong. Because if I’m not wrong, then that means you’ve been destroying more than I ever thought you could. If I’m right…tell me I’m not. Tell me you didn’t do this.”

“I cannot tell you that,” he said gently. “I found him and-”

“Stop!” she demanded. “I can’t hear this! Because I have to go home and look Harry and Remus and Sirius in the eye. How do I tell my sweet Alpha that you tore his pack apart! How do I break their hearts?”

“Solarin, the greater good-”

“This has NOTHING to do with the greater fucking good!” she screamed. “This is all you, and your fucking ego!”

Magnus appeared through the false wall and took her in his arms, leaning his mouth close to her ear.

“Do not,” he urged. “Hurting him means he wins. Hasn’t he won enough?”

“You don’t know, you don’t understand.”

“Then tell me.” He pulled back and looked her in the eye, stroking her hair away from her face. “Tell me what he did, crumpet.”

“Antonio Machado is the alias of James Potter,” she said. “He found James alive and hid him away.”

“I’m sorry, I think I just had a stroke,” Tonks said. “I can’t possibly have just heard that right.”

“No, you did.” Solarin looked at her former mentor and then to her friend. “James Potter is alive.”

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Harry’s favourite thing to do with Miri since the night in the tower was to take her to the local market.

She’d toddle along next to him, holding his hand, babbling away at him about all the things she could see. They’d buy some fruit that looked nice, Harry getting Miri to try all manner of things she’d never even seen before. He tried not to dwell on the reasons why he had never tried them either, simply treating it as something he could share with her.

Usually they’d buy more fabric or other supplies he needed for dolls. Miri loved to look at the fabric and pick out a pretty one for a dress or top or sometimes yarn for hair.

Once they’d finished wandering, they’d toddle off to a nice park Harry had discovered by accident. They’d eat and then Miri was allowed to explore, finding random flowers or leaves that she liked, sometimes finding a butterfly to watch or, once, giving a grape to some ants to see what they did with it. She liked to lay back on her Carrier’s lap and look at the clouds, babbling away at him about all the things she could see in them.

Severus knew exactly where he was. A few times he’d gone with them, and he had enjoyed it, but it was something he felt he was intruding on. It was something special for just Harry and Miri, and they should have things like that. He treasured the memories he had of his mother teaching him to make fairy cakes when he was small, and the memories he had of taking Solarin for a walk by the canal and showing her the ducks. Small memories would eventually come to be precious as the years went by and he refused to deny his husband or daughter them.

Severus and Charlie made their way to the park and found Harry exactly as they’d been expecting. He’d laid out a blanket and he and Miri were watching the clouds, nibbling at the last of their daily fruit haul.

“Daddy!”

“Hello, sweetheart,” he said, squatting down to accept her hug. “Have you been good?”

“Me good!”

“What’s up?” Harry asked, lounging on his blanket.

“I need to have a talk with you, love. A grown up talk.”

Harry took a deep breath and beckoned Miri over to him, cuddling her close and murmuring in her ear. She babbled back at him and eventually she pressed a kiss to Harry cheek. She returned to Severus and gave him a kiss before she crossed to Charlie and reached up for his hand.

“Bye bye! See later!” she said and the redhead chuckled. He nodded at Severus and Harry before he slowly walked away with the little girl, leaving Severus and Harry to talk.

“I’m not going to like this, am I?” Harry asked sadly.

“No, love, I don’t think you are,” he agreed, settling on the blanket with him. 

The park was one of those hidden gems of living in London. It was a beautiful little garden, trees for shade covered in ivy and moss, benches dedicated to people long since passed, wild flowers. It was largely overlooked by the majority of people that passed by, which gave them privacy for the coming conversation.

“Do you know why Mad-Eye and the others wanted Solarin to help them?” Severus began, toying with Harry’s fingers.

“It’s because of what she is. She can do things others can’t, she can be sure he’s not lying,” he said.

“Exactly. And if she hadn’t gone today, we would have been very unaware of something he’s done. Something…no one could have ever anticipated. And Sol…she’s so sorry.”

“Why? She didn’t do anything.”

“She feels that if she had read Albus before now she would have known what he had done.”

“But she tries not to read people. Not really anyway.”

“This is true. See, Solarin has always felt that it was wrong of her to read Albus. She has always said it felt like getting caught stealing cookies when told she could not have more.”

Harry stroked his hair and made him look at him.

“Just tell me. Whatever it is, we can get through it. Right? After everything…we can get through this.”

He smiled and kissed him softly. “You’re right. We can get through this.” He took a deep breath. “Albus has bastardised a Compulsion Charm. It is very subtle, had she not gone today and activated it, no one would have known it was there. It’s a combination of a Compulsion Charm and a Distraction Charm. We’ve used the Distraction ourselves, to make sure the little ones stay away from the stove. In small doses, it’s harmless. Millions of parents do the very same thing. But this combination…he has targeted Sol specifically so she would not look.”

“That’s horrible,” Harry said angrily. “She doesn’t deserve that, she doesn’t deserve any of it!”

“Agreed, and I shall save the rest of the injustices against her until later. I guarantee you’ll want to hug her when you hear it all and right now she’s too upset.”

“Big hugs.”

“Tremendous hugs,” he said, smiling gently before he took another deep breath and steeled himself. “Harry, Albus has…I don’t even know why he’s done it. Right. I’m just going to tell you what I know, what we’ve discovered at this point. There are many things we don’t know, yet, and I promise that I will tell you everything you want to know when I have that information.”

“Okay. Just tell me.”

“Albus was the first to Godric’s Hollow the night Lily died. He entered the property and found James in the entrance hall. Harry…James did not die that night. He was alive when Albus arrived. Albus took him and hid him away.”

“What.”

“James is alive. Your father is alive.”

Severus let the sentence hang between them, waiting to see how his lover would react. Harry was very very still, the colour had drained from his face and he was breathing very shallowly. He reached out and tangled his fingers in Severus’ shirt, gripping it white knuckled. 

“Where is he?” Harry whispered.

“We don’t know yet. We’re still figuring everything out.”

“Are you sure he’s…”

“Yes. Solarin is sure.”

“Is she okay?”

“Oh, love. She’ll be fine. Right now, she’s very distressed. No one is taking this particularly well.”

“Remus? Sirius?”

“It’s not been pretty.”

Harry nodded and slowly curled in on himself, tipping sideways until he was in Severus’ arms. Severus could feel him trembling and began to murmur soothing nonsense, trying to calm him down.

“What do I do? Do I…I don’t know. Maybe…”

“No, love. There’s nothing to do right now. To be perfectly honest, I would not have told you yet if not for two things. Firstly, the reactions to this news have been rather on the extreme end of the spectrum and it would have been unfair to lie to you as to the reasons for the upset. And secondly, there are several legal things you may need to sign to allow the investigation to progress properly.”

Harry nodded and Severus began to stroke his hair, rocking him gently.

“It doesn’t have to be bad,” Harry whispered a while later. “Maybe it’s a good thing. Maybe…this could be a good thing.”

“More people who love you? Always a good thing.”

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The trail to James was twisted and convoluted. Mad-Eye commandeered a whole team of Aurors to follow all the leads but it was slow going.

Upon returning to the house that afternoon, Harry had barely managed to get his shoes off before he sprinted up the stairs in search of his sister-in-law. Once he found her in her room, he curled up with her and cuddled close. He wouldn’t let her apologise for anything. He refused to let her take any blame, and swore that if anyone even so much as hinted that she was to blame, he would, in his words, “fuck them up.”

It had calmed her down a lot.

The whole family seemed to be on tenterhooks, just waiting for something to develop.

Remus watched as his mate paced around their bedroom and waited for him to say something. He’d had his outburst, spent most of the afternoon doing it, and he was oddly zen about the whole thing. That would probably change when they discovered more but for the moment he was calm.

He let Romulus the wolf puppy clamber into his lap and cuddle into his arms. He held him close and set to rhythmically stroking his fur.

Something about being a werewolf meant that the puppy had decided that Remus was his mother and behaved accordingly. Somewhere along the way, Sirius had also gained a parental relationship with the wolf and had spent many an hour having his fingers chewed on as Rommy teethed.

“What if it’s my fault?” Sirius whispered.

Rommy had finally fallen asleep and Remus was just tucking him into his little den. It had started as a wicker laundry basket until he had taken a liking to it. It was padded with pillows and cushions, and had more than enough blankets. Rommy liked to sleep with his three favourite plushies: a tiger, a penguin and a fairy. These were never chewed on but always cuddled up to.

Remus tucked the blanket around the sleeping puppy and turned to his mate.

“How could this possibly be your fault?”

“What if…what if James stayed away because of me? I told him to use Peter, I made him! It’s my fault Lily died!”

“No! Sirius, don’t! We’ve been over this, time and time again. You are not to blame for the events of that night. And you’ve done more than your fair share of suffering over it. I’ll not let you blame yourself for this. Sirius, sweetheart, please. Think clearly. Would James truly leave Harry? Stay away from his son?”

“No,” he admitted.

“The most likely explanation is that he has had no choice. We do not know what Dumbledore has done to him. He could have no memories. He could be prisoner somewhere. There are a thousand possibilities of where he is and why he hasn’t returned. But I know this. I know you are not at fault.”

“Do you promise?”

“I swear it on everything I am. You convinced James to use Peter because you truly believed it was safer. And had Peter not been a turncoat it would have been,” he promised, stroking his hair and pressing their foreheads together. “You have only ever done what you believed was needed to keep our pack safe. And I love you so much for it.”

“I love you. Remus, you know that, don’t you? I love you. I don’t ever want you to be in doubt of that.”

“Hush,” he urged, kissing him. “I know. I’ve always known. Even when they took you from me, I knew it.” More kisses, light touches growing firmer, a leg pushed between Sirius’ thighs.

“Rommy,” Sirius gasped.

“Asleep. The puppy is asleep. Time for papas to play.”

For a few hours at least, Remus was able to take his mind off of things.

It was all they could hope for.

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After a few days, Solarin had regained her footing and was back to herself again. 

So she put on her favourite boots and made her way to St Mungos, where Sam and another healer were waiting.

“For the record, I don’t like this,” Sam declared worriedly, arms crossed.

“For the record, I appreciate your worry. But there’s no need for the worry. All I’m doing is talking, finding out what’s happening, if there’s even the possibility. Nothing more,” she promised.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll believe it when I see it. Solarin Weasley-Snape, this is Miriam Strout. Head Healer for Janus Thickey ward. She’s overseen Alice and Frank for a long while now.”

The two women shook hands and exchanged greetings and then Miriam was all business, explaining the Longbottom’s cases.

They had both been catatonic for the past 17 years, ever since being tortured out of their minds by Bellatrix LeStrange. Many treatments had been tried over the years, but nothing had eased their condition. Neither were worse than the other, but separating them was deemed a ‘very bad thing’. They became distressed if separated, so it was best for everyone if they were left together.

“I honestly don’t know what it is Neville thinks you can do,” she said dismissively. “But he’s decided upon this and they are his parents.”

“Well, we’ll see what happens, won’t we?” Solarin asked cheerily, and then smiled at the elderly witch waiting for them outside the ward. “Augusta, how lovely to see you again.”

“Solarin,” Augusta Longbottom breathed. “Oh. Thank you so much for coming. You really don’t know what this means to us.”

“Nonsense. Now, you understand that I might not be able to do anything for them? Nothing like this has ever been done before. All I’m going to do today is take a look, see if anything is even a possibility. You understand that, don’t you?”

“I do, I understand. But that there is even a chance…it’s enough to have hope again.”

Solarin smiled and then smirked at Miriam’s gobsmacked expression. Sol actually quite liked Neville’s grandmother. She wasn’t the warmest of people but she was honest, which was nice.

They made their way into the room and over to where Neville was waiting, reading to his parents who sat with vacant eyes. There was no indication that they could even hear him, let alone that they knew who he was.

“Mum, Dad, this is Sol. Remember I told you about her? She’s going to try and help you.”

“Hi, Neville,” she said, hugging him.

“Hi. Thanks for this.”

“No problem.” 

She looked at the people who had given Neville life and felt her heart go out to them. They were very thin, almost gaunt, and their eyes seemed too large in their faces. Both had once been blond, like their son, but their hair was now a shock of white.

She gently reached out, letting her mind brush theirs and found…nothing. Darkness, empty, rushing wind and open space.

“Odd,” she murmured, taking Neville’s empty seat.

They were in there, she knew they were. They still had the spark of a consciousness. But she couldn’t reach it. It was like a word on the tip of the tongue, an idea just out of reach.

“Hello. I’m Solarin. I’m a friend of your son. He’s quite a wonderful young man, you must be very proud.” She strained, trying to find them, but it was like trying to find a spot of white in blank ink. “I know you’re there. I know it’s hard but you are in there. Won’t you come out? Please?”

“They’re in there?” Neville asked.

“They are, but it’s…it’s like they’ve gone so far into themselves to protect themselves from what happened. I don’t think they can find their way back again. I think…it’s more like they’re lost than gone.”

“Can you reach them?” Sam wondered.

“I don’t know. I’m looking but it’s like wading through tar.”

“Might be best to come away, formulate a plan of action. Maybe find a few spells to try and clear things.”

“Perhaps.”

Maybe it was because she couldn’t find them, or maybe it was because Neville and Augusta were watching her so intently, their emotions so loud.

But Solarin didn’t see Frank reach for her. No one did. Until his hand wrapped around hers and she instantly blew out every window in the room, her mind sucked into wherever Frank was.

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All at once, every single bud bloomed on the Orchid.

The city rejoiced, and Midea wept.

It wasn’t every day a miracle was witnessed.


	2. Chapter Two

Severus couldn’t stop pacing, and Bill looked absolutely devastated.

 

Solarin had barely ever been sick as a child. The usual coughs and colds, a fever or two, once or twice being sick enough to warrant a Healer, but nothing really notable.

 

Seeing her laying in a hospital bed once more so soon after the last time was a horrible thing.

 

As Solarin had blown out the windows and Sam, Miriam, Augusta and Neville had been thrown backwards, Alice had taken hold of Solarin’s other hand. The Healers had been forced to move three beds together so the three of them could lay comfortably. The two patients couldn’t be removed from Solarin, which meant that Solarin couldn’t be pulled out of whatever they had pulled her into.

 

Augusta and Neville had left the room but not gone far, only to the waiting room. They sensed that this was a private thing and they wouldn’t be welcomed at that moment. They weren’t unwelcome, but it was considered better for Solarin to have highly familiar minds close.

 

“I don’t understand how this happened,” Severus growled. “She only came to look at them! How the hell did this happen?”

 

“Severus, I am so so sorry,” Sam whimpered and Remus took a step towards his son-in-law.

 

“No, I am the one who is sorry,” Severus sighed, finally sinking down into a chair. “I’m sorry, Sam. I don’t blame you, honestly. I just…don’t understand how these things keep happening to her.”

 

“Good question,” Bill muttered.

 

He’d left when Dorian suddenly began crying that Mummy was scared. His last glimpse of his son had been him sobbing in Arthur’s arms, crying that Daddy had to make it better.

 

“Can you sense her?” Sam asked.

 

“Yes.”

 

“And?” Sirius demanded.

 

“She’s fucking terrified, but she’s crying in her sleep so you didn’t really need me to tell you that did you?”

 

“Bill, I didn’t mean…”

 

“I know.” The redhead scrubbed at his face before moving to stand at the end of Solarin’s bed. “She’s somewhere else. Somewhere…it’s hard to describe. Dark and cold, but she’s not alone. There are things in the dark that want to hurt her.”

 

“We have to wake her,” Severus said.

 

“We can’t,” Bill said. “She’s stuck and we can’t save her. She has to do it herself.”

 

“What if she can’t?” Remus asked. “We have to be able to help her, to do something!”

 

“There’s nothing, Alpha,” Sam said. “Nothing we can do. All we can do is wait for her to find a way out.”

 

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She was in a void, no sense of up or down, left or right.

 

One moment she’d been in the ward, talking to Sam, and then she was here. She could feel a hand gripping each of her own, though she couldn’t see anything.

 

“Hello?” she called, turning slowly in place. “HELLO!”

 

Her own voice bounced back at her, along with the sound of moving figures in the dark. There was something in the shadows, something watching her, waiting.

 

“Bill?”

 

She prodded at the connection to him, but it was so thin, pulled so taught. She couldn’t feel him, couldn’t hear him. Dorian was gone too, and her fledgling connection to Daven. She was completely and utterly alone for the first time ever in her life.

 

She was so very afraid.

 

She allowed herself a moment to be afraid, to let it drown her, before she took a deep breath and picked a direction. It wasn’t anything special, just a way to go.

 

It was the wrong way.

 

She’d gone no more than a half dozen steps when she felt a burning in her skin. Head to toe, every inch of her felt like it was on fire, like someone had shoved her into a fireplace without the floo powder.

 

She stumbled forwards, trying to escape, and electricity pulsed through her, followed immediately by knives skinning her and nails scraping off the remains. Every nerve ending began to scream, at it took a moment before she understood that the screaming was her.

 

She ran blindly, reaching for anything that might help, but there was nothing. She was alone and no one was coming to save her. It was only the pain that let her know she was actually alive.

 

Someone was laughing, delighting in her pain, as her fingernails were ripped from their beds, needles driven into the bleeding ends. The pain of being whipped was at least familiar, as was the feeling of being beaten. But the agony of being pinned down and her teeth ripped from her skull was new, as was the flesh being peeled off her face and then acid dripped into the bloody mess that used to be her.

 

Days passed, then weeks and months. Hours on end of someone pulling her intestines out to tie in knots only to unravel them and start all over again. Days of someone cutting out her lungs just to put them back and fill them with water. Her spine was nothing more than a rope in a game of tug of war, her ribs a trampoline, her liver just a chunk of meat to be sliced thin and shredded. The scar from her hysterectomy was the only clue she had that the feeling of her ovaries being blown up wasn’t real.

 

She was raped repeatedly, and strangled. She lost count of the amount of times her bones were broken. She watched as her fingers were cut off, then her toes. Her tongue was cut out, her throat cut, her kidneys impaled.

 

She was drowned, and blinded, and her eardrums ruptured. Her hair ripped out at the root, blood pouring down her skin, her lungs failing to keep her alive. The stop of her heart, and the pain of it restarting. She was flayed and burnt and dipped in acid, skinned and crushed and cut open like an autopsy.

 

But there wasn’t a mark on her.

 

It wasn’t real, it wasn’t actually happening to her physical form.

 

There were voices in the dark, taunting her, teasing at how weak and pathetic she was. Memories were pulled from her head and played for her to watch, movies on the inside of her eyelids she couldn’t turn away from.

 

Tobias shaking her, breaking her ribs; the people she had killed in the Ministry; the moments she couldn’t forget of Harry held by Lucius. The day Severus was Marked; the connection to her mother snapping as she died.

 

All the moments she wanted to forget, all the things she had tried hard to put behind her, there they were, where she couldn’t look away.

 

The memories she had taken from Lucius and Bellatrix and Fenrir that night bubbled up, invading her senses.

 

She couldn’t count the sheer number of people they had killed, and she wouldn’t ever be able to describe what it was like to watch hands that appeared to be her own cast all those curses.

 

She could taste the blood of Fenrir’s victims, could hear the way Remus screamed and sobbed when he was bitten, the way Sam’s mother had gasped in surprise as her life ebbed away.

 

The pleasure Lucius had taken from the suffering of others, the delight he had in causing pain, the way Harry had cried and begged and how Lucius had revelled in it. Harry hadn’t been the first poor soul he had raped and tortured, but Harry had been the one who suffered the most.

 

Bellatrix had been crazy before Azkaban, and after it had only grown worse. The years surrounded by Dementors had driven what sanity she had right out of her head.

 

The memories of what she had done to a young blond couple kept surfacing again and again and again. There was something she was supposed to be doing, somewhere she was supposed to be. Bellatrix kept asking them over and over where the boy was. And she was holding a teddy. Why? Bellatrix and her friends had torn apart the nursery, ripped blankets to pieces, shattered the crib.

 

The boy?

 

Neville. They were looking for Neville. Of course. Voldemort had to kill the boy, but he didn’t know which one. It wasn’t Severus’ fault. He’d hardly been given any kind of choice.

 

She’d had nightmares for months after what he’d put her Sevus through. So much pain. His hands had shaken for a month solid after that night, and at random intervals for the next year. She’d had to help him when he needed a steady hand for potions.

 

Time continue to pass in the endless dark, with the pain and the voices pressing down on her. She was so tired, so very tired. Too tired to fight it. She lay very still, hoping that if she didn’t move then maybe the pain would stop, or at least ease a little.

 

She was lost with no way back.

 

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Severus leaned his head back against the wall and took a deep breath in through the nose before he looked down at the man curled in his lap.

 

Bill was absolutely inconsolable. The redhead had ended up slumping on the floor, unable to stay upright under the onslaught of the pain Solarin was in. Severus had left his chair and slid down the wall, pulling him close. It seemed to help, giving Bill something solid to cling to.

 

Every now and then a shudder would pass through his curled frame, and Severus was sure he’d be explaining bruises from Bill’s grip on his legs to Harry. The tears had stopped, as if Bill had simply run out of them.

 

Sam came over and ran some diagnostics on Bill.

 

“I want to hook him to an IV, get some fluids into him,” he told Severus.

 

“No,” he argued. “I’ll get him to drink. If he can sense her, then she can sense him. And if she can sense him then she’ll feel it if we start sticking him with needles.”

 

“I don’t think she can distinguish outside pain with what she’s trapped in.”

 

“You will not stick him with needles unless absolutely no other options are available.”

 

Sam nodded and backed away.

 

Severus curled over the younger man and stroked his hair.

 

“Bill,” he said gently into his ear. “I know you are in a lot of pain but I need you to drink some water for me.”

 

Another shudder and a tightening of Bill’s hands again.

 

“I know you do not want to, but you must. She needs you to be strong. You are her anchor, the rope she will use to find her way back to us. That link must hold, thus so must you.”

 

Remus knelt before them with a glass of water, holding the straw out for Bill, who obediently opened his mouth and drank. They managed to get him to take three glasses before he stopped and then Sirius settled in their little huddle to carefully feed grapes and pieces of flapjack to him.

 

“You’ll be okay, cub,” Remus soothed, stroking his hair as the tears returned. “She’ll find her way back. She always does.”

 

“Hurts,” Bill whispered.

 

“I know it does. Just a little longer. Just give us a little more time. We’ll find a way to help her. We just need you to hold on for us. Can you do that? Keep holding on?”

 

Bill looked up at the bed where Healers and Magnus Bane and Mad-Eye were hovering, running spell after spell, trying to figure it all out.

 

He reached out and gripped Remus’ sleeve.

 

“Want mum.”

 

“I’ll get her,” Sirius said, immediately rising and disappearing. In moments he had popped back in, heedless of the noise his Apperation caused. One of their pack needed Molly, so Molly he would get.

 

She took a moment to look around, her hand going to her mouth in shock and horror as she saw what had become of her daughter-in-law, before she gathered herself and crossed to her son. She knelt by him, leaning over him to blanket him with her scent. She had been there every time he had fallen and skinned his knees, always there to hold his hand, wipe his tears, make it better even if she did nothing but be there. No matter how angry he was over what she had done, or what she had allowed Dumbledore manipulate her into, she was still his mum, and she was still able to make it seem not so bad.

 

“Oh, my boy,” she breathed, resting her forehead against his curls, one hand stroking his back, the other tangling in those curls. “I’m here now, I’m right here.”

 

“Mama,” he whispered. He’d long since grown out of calling her that, preferring Mother or just Mum.

 

“Mama’s here. I’m here, baby. It’ll be okay, they’re going to help her.”

 

“She hurts,” he whimpered. “So much.”

 

She didn’t argue or try to minimise Solarin’s pain. She simply stayed where she was, letting him take comfort how he needed to.

 

And eventually, he took a deep shuddering breath.

 

“She’s not alone,” he croaked.

 

He shakily moved them off him and staggered to his feet, hanging onto the end of the bed and staring at her before he looked at Magnus.

 

“She’s not alone. And the pain…it’s less. I think…I think one of them found her.”

 

They looked at Alice and Frank and wondered what the hell was happening.

 

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These hands were different.

 

They hurt, yes. Everything in the void hurt. But the hurt was different. It wasn’t pain for the sake of pain, to make her suffer. It was to make her move, to take her somewhere quiet and still. She was carried to somewhere else, somewhere away from Bellatrix and Lucius and Fenrir, and laid on something soft, a sofa maybe, or a bed.

 

There were lights here, gentle lights, like candles or maybe stars. Soft voices nearby that weren’t calling her names or making her think of things she would rather leave buried. No more images, no more pain, no more memories.

 

She could sort of feel Bill again. Enough to know that he was there. Scared. For her? Maybe.

 

It was just so nice to lay there, to just be. No pain anymore. Slowly, voices began to intrude on her quiet once more, but these were not directed at her. Rather, they were to each other.

 

“What were you thinking?” hissed the first. This was female, and obviously angry.

 

“She was suffering, I couldn’t leave her!” the second argued. This male one was more determined.

 

“You know why we’re here, you know! And still you bring one here!”

 

“No! It wasn’t like that! She’s not one of them. They were hurting her, just like us. Alice, listen! She’s like us.”

 

Alice. She knew an Alice. Didn’t she? There was something niggling at her, something important. She was doing something before the void.

 

“Frank, Alice,” Solarin mumbled. “I was looking for Frank and Alice.”

 

“Hey, hey, take it easy,” he soothed as she blinked up at him. “Hi there.”

 

“Hi. Are you Frank?”

 

“Yes, I am. Who are you?”

 

“I’m Solarin, I’m a friend of Neville’s. He sent me to find you and Alice.”

 

“Rubbish.”

 

Sol craned her head to look at the young blonde woman scowling at her. She couldn’t have been more than twenty, with the same plumpness Neville had but with shadows behind her eyes that the young man didn’t have.

 

She sat up and smiled gently at her.

 

“Why is that rubbish?”

 

“Because my Neville is ten months old! He couldn’t have sent you!”

 

Solarin blinked in surprise.

 

“You…you don’t know how long you’ve been here, do you? Alice, you’ve been here seventeen years. Neville, he’s almost eighteen.”

 

“No! Shut up! You’re lying, and I won’t listen to any more of this!” she snarled before turning on her heel and storming off, slamming doors.

 

Solarin took the opportunity to look around. It was a small cottage, much like the one she and Severus had lived in when she was a child. Obsessively clean, but cluttered in a soft comfortable way. Soft blankets and cushions, stuffed toys, warm sweaters and socks.

 

“Is he okay?” Frank asked softly.

 

“He’s fine.” She smiled. “He’s…an amazing young man. You should be proud of him.”

 

“And my mother?”

 

“She’s…fierce,” she chuckled. “I like her, though I can think of plenty of people she terrifies.”

 

“Sounds about right. Did…did You-Know-Who hurt him?” he whispered.

 

“No. It ummm, it wasn’t Neville. The Prophecy wasn’t clear, he wasn’t sure of which boy it was. He only knew it was a baby boy born at the end of July to parents that had defied him three times. There were two boys that fit the conditions.”

 

“Two? But…no. Neville was…oh no. The Potters?”

 

“Yeah.” She sat back down on the squashy sofa and admired the painting of greenery over the fireplace. She’d never seen a painting of Devil’s Snare before. “Where are we?”

 

“This?” He settled in a worn armchair. “It’s our house, before Bellatrix came. We came here to escape what’s out there.” He nodded at the curtain covered window. “I heard you screaming. Alice, she never goes out there, too afraid. But I’ve tried to find a way out. Can I ask…why did Neville send you?”

 

“Wait. You don’t seem even remotely surprised to see me, that I’m here.”

 

He grinned. “I’m not. I was an Auror. An Unspeakable to be exact. Very low level, I never got to do anything exciting, mostly paperwork. But it was pretty out there stuff.”

 

“You worked for the Department of Mysteries?” He nodded. “It’s gone. The department was disbanded.”

 

“Why?”

 

“They did some things that were…unethical.”

 

“Damn. I was hoping to get to something interesting one day. So why is it that Neville sent you?”

 

“I’m an Augur,” she said. “I’m the only one he could send. Well. Potentially. We weren’t even sure it would work, if I could do anything. And then you grabbed my hand and…I think you pulled me in.”

 

“I’m so sorry,” he said sadly. “I’m sure I didn’t mean to. I hope I didn’t.”

 

“Probably not. And I’m sure this wouldn’t happen with another witch. I think you were just looking for a connection, for something to hold onto.”

 

They lapsed into silence for a while, each thinking things through.

 

“Frank,” she said eventually. It felt as if many hours had passed, but she knew that the time in memories and thoughts was very different to the passage of time in the physical world. “I can’t stay here. And you shouldn’t, neither of you.”

 

“I know. But you can’t leave.”

 

“Look, I know you’re scared. What they did…I think I’d want to hide away too. But there are people who need you still. A son who is desperate to know you.”

 

“No, you misunderstand. I want to leave. And I think Alice does too. There a life we missed out on we could have back out there. But it’s impossible. This place…Solarin, there is no out.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“There’s no way to leave here. We’re stuck, and I’m afraid I’ve trapped you here with us.”

 

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Fred and George were surprisingly gentle souls when it came down to it. George was more openly gentle, but Fred had his moments where he could be so sweet he could move them to tears.

 

Harry looked up from the book he was reading to Miri as Fred entered the room.

 

“Hi,” Miri mumbled sleepily around her thumb.

 

“Hi, sweetpea,” he said, crouching down. “Can I borrow Carrier for a while?”

 

“Why?”

 

“Well, Charlie made an appointment for him and I need to take him to it.”

 

“Me come.”

 

“It’s kind of a grown up appointment.”

 

She peered at him for a moment before she removed her thumb and reached out, holding his hand.

 

“A keep safe? Come back?”

 

“Of course,” he swore, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. “I promise I will keep him totally safe and bring him back for dinner. How about that?”

 

“Is okay,” she said eventually.

 

She snuggled into Harry for the end of her story and then busied herself with her crayons. Fred watched as Harry lingered, watching his daughter, before leaving the room. He trailed the younger Gryffindor to the kitchen, where Anne and Jim were having coffee and reminiscing.

 

“Any news?” Anne asked.

 

“Nothing yet,” Fred said. “Can you watch Miri for a bit?”

 

“Of course,” she said with a smile. “I love watching her. Where are you off to?”

 

“Taking Harry to the bank for his meeting.”

 

“Is there any point?” Harry asked, leaning against the sink. “If he’s alive, can I even claim any of it?”

 

Oliver looked up from his feeding of Joseph. “From a legal standpoint, he is officially dead, and that’s reflected in the paperwork. He can’t claim any of it because his claim over the family fortune has been forfeited.”

 

“But what if he wants it back?”

 

“Doesn’t matter. Legally, once you sign the papers, it’s all yours and there’s nothing he, or anyone else, can do about it. The law is clear on this. You have the claim on it, he has nothing. Just continue as if you hadn’t heard anything about him. As far as we’re concerned, nothing has changed.”

 

Harry gnawed on his thumbnail for a moment before nodding and disappearing to get his shoes.

 

“He’s not handling this too well,” Oliver said.

 

“I think he’s doing marvellously,” Anne countered. “With the James situation and what’s happened to Solarin, I think he’s doing very well.”

 

Fred smiled at Harry as he returned. “Ready?” Harry nodded and Fred bid them farewell before they headed out.

 

“I can’t believe James would abandon his son,” Jim said sadly. “He was always such a loving boy, and he doted on Lily. I can’t imagine him just walking away from Harry.”

 

Anne stood and carried their mugs over to the kettle.

 

“We don’t know anything yet,” she said firmly. “We’ll wait until we do.”

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

It took days before Alice would even stay in the same room as Solarin, weeks for her to look at her, and close to six months before she actually spoke to her.

 

Solarin was almost positive it hadn’t actually been six months but time didn’t work in this place. She could feel the thread between her and Bill but only faintly, and the ones to her children not at all. There was a nagging feeling of worry lingering in the back of her mind that she thought might be Severus and the lingering childhood connection that had never truly faded. Sometimes she wondered if the connection Miri had to Harry would ever truly fade.

 

She found it hard to concentrate, to stay in the moment, to remember that there was somewhere else she was supposed to be. It was hard to remember that there was anything outside the house.

 

It was a nice house, truly. But even pretty prisons are still cages.

 

“You don’t belong here,” Alice said on day 182.

 

Solarin tore her eyes away from the window which always showed nothing but darkness.

 

“I know. Neither do you.”

 

“Don’t be silly,” she scoffed. “Of course we belong here. This is our home. Where else would we belong?”

 

“Out there. Beyond the darkness. Back in the world with your son.”

 

“My son is gone,” she hissed. “How many times do you have to hear it before you stop lying about it?”

 

“How many times do I have to correct you before you stop denying the truth?”

 

She chuckled.

 

“So stubborn. Truly related to Severus.”

 

“Ah. So you do believe who I am then. There’s progress. Anything else you believe?”

 

“That you want to leave.”

 

“Well that’s no great secret.”

 

“How do you plan it? Frank keeps trying and he’s had no luck. What’s your plan of escape?”

 

“Not quite sure. Like you said, he’s kept trying and got nowhere. Every time I think of a way, he’s already tried it and failed.”

 

“There’s no way out.”

 

“There was a way in.”

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

Chadwick Smythton was way younger than Harry had thought he would be.

 

He was around the same age as Sirius and Remus, with a head of black hair that poofed out in an impressive afro and warm friendly eyes. He wore a suit, but his tie had a print of Spiderman faces on it.

 

“Mr Potter-Snape, I’m Chadwick Smythton, head of Magical Money Matters. Please, call me Chad. Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me,” he said, shaking Harry’s hand.

 

“It’s fine,” he mumbled, leaning into Fred.

 

“Fred Weasley,” he said, shaking his hand. “Harry’s a little nervous. Heavy adulting.”

 

“I completely understand,” he said, smiling at Harry and ushering them to the waiting chairs. “It’s always a little overwhelming to suddenly have all this official stuff to do. Tea?”

 

He poured them cups and set out a plate of sandwiches before he turned to the papers laid out in neat piles on his desk.

 

“Right. I’ve had the goblins complete a full inventory of everything included in your magical inheritance held here at Gringotts and contacted the Muggle solicitors handling that side of things. I’ve gone through it all and separated it into Property, Jewellery, Items, and Money.” He indicated to each of the piles. “Now, the money is fairly simple. We can consolidate it all into a single account, and provide you with a card so you can shop in the Muggle World and such.”

 

“Sounds good,” Harry said.

 

“Perfect. Just sign this one to authorise that change.”

 

Harry took the quill and pushed the paper to Fred, who scanned it and nodded.

 

“Cut and dry, no surprises,” the redhead declared and Harry nodded before signing it and handing it back to Chad.

 

“Very good. Now, the property is the next one. For this we’ve bundled together all the deeds to the properties and land you’re inheriting. Once you have the deeds, you can take your time and decide what to do with all of it. We do offer a liaison service with a magical estate agent if you require one to sell anything.”

 

Again, Fred looked it all over before giving Harry a positive nod and the younger man signed.

 

“Excellent. Now, the Items are a little harder. There’s quite a variety of things. So what we’ve done is placed it all in a single vault separate from your monetary vault and created a full inventory for you, separating it into categories so you can have a clearer idea of what it all is. Then it’s your choice of what to do with things.”

 

Another nod and sign.

 

“Finally we have the assorted jewellery. We took the liberty of having it all appraised for you and including approximate values in our listing, so you can be assured of getting a good price should you choose to sell anything. Our goblins have been very thorough. They have also prepared a list of items that were goblin-made, and they would be happy to…relieve you of, should you wish, for a monetary compensation.”

 

Harry looked at Fred in confusion.

 

“The goblins have picked out what their people made and they’d like back, which they’ll pay you for.”

 

“Oh. Do I have to? Is that a thing? To give it back to them?”

 

“No,” he said, skimming through the last pile of paperwork. “It’s a personal choice. These things are yours to do with however you want. If you don’t want those things and you do want to sell them, the goblins would like to be offered the chance to buy them before anyone else.”

 

“Ah. Okay then.”

 

“And I think that’s just about everything,” Chad said. “Oh, not quite. Almost forgot this one. This one just states that you’ve received all the paperwork and have taken possession of your inheritance as outlined in your parents’ wills. You’ll be able to access everything on the occasion of your 18th birthday.”

 

Harry read this one himself and signed at the bottom and then Chad put everything into a file box for him. They stood and Chad handed him the box before guiding them to the door. He paused on the threshold and shook their hands.

 

“Thank you so much for banking with Gringotts. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for anything you might need,” Chad said warmly.

 

Harry thanked him and he and Fred made their way out of the building and to Florean Fortescues. They had big milkshakes and flicked through a few of the papers.

 

“Where is this one?” Harry asked, pointing to one of the properties.

 

Fred ran his tongue around the edge of his granny smith apple waffle cone and looked at it.

 

“Other end of the Alley, not far from Ollivanders.” He rifled through the box. “You’ve got the keys. It’s only two days to your birthday, it was probably easier to give you it all now. We can go take a look if you want.”

 

They finished up their ice creams and then wandered down the Alley to an empty shop two doors down from Ollivanders. It had a Gringotts sticker on the glass of the front door claiming that it had been seized due to improper renting.

 

“I think this is the one that sold Remus the fake potion.”

 

“How did they rent this?”

 

“Fraudulent estate agent maybe. Wow. This place.”

 

It had beautiful high ceilings and wonderful natural light. It was dusty and the shelves were broken, but all it would take would be a little elbow grease to get it looking its best.

 

“Is it good? I don’t know anything about shops. Is it good?”

 

“Seriously?” Fred asked with a smile. “This place is incredible.” He ducked his head into the back room. “This is…Harry, this is an incredible space.”

 

“Good. Because I want you to have it.”

 

Fred literally fell over, landing on the dusty floor on his backside.

 

“What? Harry, you can’t give me a shop. You already gave us the money for the first shop. You can’t give us the second.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because…well, I don’t actually know. But it’s a huge thing! It’s…Harry, this is a building. It’s not like a book or a broom, something you give as a gift. This is…”

 

“But you’re my friends,” he said simply. “And your shop made you happy. I don’t need this one, I have like three others. But you need a new shop. So why not just give you this one?”

 

Fred levered himself back to his feet and crossed the space, taking his hands.

 

“You have to be sure.”

 

“Of course I’m sure. I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I want this to be for you.”

 

“Then…thank you. Thank you so much. We’ll cut you in on the profits, like last time. You’ll be a silent partner.”

 

Harry nodded and hugged Fred hard.

 

“Can we go to the hospital?” Harry asked into his chest.

 

“What for?”

 

“See if Sol’s okay.”

 

“Are you sure you want to? She might not be.”

 

“I still want to go.”

 

“Okay. Let’s go.”

 

They made their way outside and locked it back up and began towards the Leaky Cauldron.

 

“Let’s take them some lunch,” Fred said. “They’re probably starving.”

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

Severus looked up from his contemplation of the floor as the door opened and Harry appeared with Fred in tow. They had enormous bags emblazoned with the Leaky Cauldron and were staggering under the weight.

 

“We might have over estimated how hungry you’d all be,” Fred said, heaving his two bags onto a table.

 

“Yeah,” Harry agreed, staggering as he lifted his own bags. “But I’m sure I’ll keep. Or maybe you can share it with the nurses and doctors.”

 

“Thank you, love,” Severus said, pulling him in for a kiss. “It is most appreciated.”

 

“So, how’s she…mum,” Fred trailed off, staring at Molly. “What are you…I mean…”

 

“I wanted her here,” Bill mumbled, perched on the railing at the end of Solarin’s bed, toying with his curls.

 

“Oh. Well.” Fred looked at Harry and then Severus and then Molly before back to Harry.

 

Harry, for his part, very carefully didn’t react. It was only natural, he supposed, for Bill to want his mother there. It was a very stressful situation. And Harry always wanted his parents there when things were bad. If he could have Remus and Sirius when he needed them, Bill could have Molly. After all, she hadn’t really known what Dumbledore had been doing. Okay, she had screwed up. But she wasn’t really a truly horrible person. She’d made a mistake, a big one, granted, but everyone made mistakes.

 

“Harry?” Severus murmured, sliding up behind him and curling his arms around his waist, nuzzling into his neck. “Are you alright?”

 

“I’m fine,” he assured, rummaging in the bags. “Bill needs her.”

 

“And are you okay with that?”

 

“Yes. She’s his mum. He can have his mum to help him. Look, it’s still not okay, what happened, but this is more important that all that.”

 

He kissed the neck he was nosing at. “If you’re sure?”

 

“I am. I am very sure.”

 

Harry turned and kissed him, stroking his hair away from his eyes.

 

“I appreciate the concern, but I really am okay.”

 

“Alright then.”

 

“Hungry?”

 

“Starved.”

 

Harry smiled and set to dishing it all up, handing out plates of stew and bread and utensils. Fred busied himself with pouring out tea and juice.

 

“So how’s she doing?” Fred asked.

 

“Nothing’s changed,” Bill said, poking at his lunch. “Seven hours and she’s still in there.”

 

“Is there anything we can do?” Harry asked. “If…maybe Miri could…”

 

“No,” Bill said firmly, looking at him. “Absolutely not. I appreciate the offer, really, I do. But I could never put Miri at risk like that.”

 

“Risk?”

 

“Sol could pull her into whatever this is. It’s bad enough that she’s in there and the pain she went through, having Miri go through that? No way.”

 

“Oh. I didn’t know…she…”

 

Bill put down his plate and yanked Harry into a hug. “She’ll get through this. She always does. It’s just been really hard.”

 

Severus took his plate and began to return to his seat when a noise from the bed stopped him. His plate hit the floor as Solarin gasped, letting out little screams as he hands began to glow.

 

“Sam!”

 

The healer sped over and began running diagnostic spells.

 

“I don’t know what’s happening,” Sam said. “Her heart is racing, and her temperature is rising, but there’s no reason they should be.”

 

Bill sank to his knees, choking on air as he buried his head in his hands.

 

Molly and Harry reached him at the same time.

 

“Bill,” Molly said as Harry swept his hair back. “Bill, sweetheart. Talk to us.”

 

“She’s so scared,” he whimpered. “Mama.”

 

“Shhh, hush, it’ll be alright,” she soothed, pulling him into her arms. “She’s so strong. She’ll get through this, you’ll see. Hold on, baby, hold on.”

 

No sooner had she said it did Solarin open her eyes with a screech and blew out the newly replaced windows.

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

“You’re being such a coward!” Solarin screamed as she threw a lamp at him.

 

“A coward! I saved you out there and I’m a coward!”

 

“Yes!” she cried. “You’re so afraid to face what happened that you won’t even try to get out. Your son is out there, just beyond the dark, and you won’t even try to get to him.”

 

“We’ve tried,” Alice said, trying to calm her down. “For decades. We’ve been trying. But you can only fail so many times before it’s just…it’s just too painful to fail.”

 

Solarin stood and stared at them. By her calculations, she’d been in this house for seven years. If time really was passing as she perceived it, her son was in Hogwarts. And her baby... She’d missed so much.

 

“I can’t. I can’t stay here. I’d rather die out there than stay in here.”

 

“What? No!” Frank said incredulously. “That’s crazy!”

 

“Crazy? That’s crazy? No, what’s crazy is hiding in here. What’s crazy is staying here where you think it’s safe rather than fighting for your son. Because that’s where I’m going, back to my son and my daughter. Back to where you’re needed.”

 

And with that, she flung open the door, took a deep breath, and stepped out into the darkness.

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

Solarin ripped her hands free and scrambled from the bed, falling to the floor and lashing out with fists and magic.

 

“NO!!!” she screamed.

 

“Sol! Solarin, sweetheart, stop!” Severus begged, striding forwards and grabbing her wrists. He used her own momentum to wrap her up, crossing her arms over her chest and pressing her back to his chest. She was inconsolable, too terrified to even register who was holding her.

 

It went on, her fighting against him as her magic lashed out, pushing them all back and shattering things around the room.

 

Severus began to sing to her, the way he had when she was a little girl and awoke from a nightmare. Her nightmares of their father had terrified her so much that she couldn’t calm down for hours at a time.

 

“When you taught me how to dance

Years ago with misty eyes

Every step and silent glance

Every move a sweet surprise.

Someone must have taught you well

To beguile and to entrance

For that night you cast your spell

And you taught me how to dance.

 

Like reflections in the lake

I recall what went before

As I give alone to take

And will be alone no more.

 

Other lights may light my way

I may even find romance

But I won’t forget that night

When you taught me how to dance.

 

Cold winds blow but up on those hills you find me

And I know you’re walking ‘round behind me.

 

When you taught me how to dance

Years ago with misty eyes

Every step and silent glance

Every move a sweet surprise.

Someone must have taught you well

To beguile and to entrance

For that night you cast your spell

And you taught me how to dance.”

 

“Sevus?” she mumbled, tense in his arms.

 

“I’m here, sweetheart, I’m right here. It’s okay, you’re okay, I have you.”

 

She collapsed, gasping and gripping at him, turning so she could bury herself in his hold.

 

“Easy, sweetheart, easy. Just breathe. Come on. Take some deep breaths for me.”

 

It took her a moment but eventually she managed to do as he asked and finally she stopped gasping and gagging, though she couldn’t stop trembling.

 

“Am I here? Am I out?” she whispered.

 

“You’re here, baby,” Bill promised. “You’re right here with us.”

 

She reached for him and he took her hand, pressing it to his lips.

 

“How long?”

 

“About seven hours,” Sam said, coming closer to check her over. She flinched as he touched her. “Sorry. I’ll just sit here, until you’re ready.”

 

“It’s okay,” she said as another shudder went through her. “Do your thing. So…I didn’t miss Dor and Daven growing up?”

 

“No, baby, you didn’t miss anything. Half a day, that’s all. How long did it feel like?”

 

“Seven years.” She sniffed and managed to blink her eyes open. “I got lost. I got so lost.”

 

“You found your way,” Severus assured, stroking her hair. “My strong girl. Found your way back to us all by yourself.”

 

“I couldn’t get them to come with me,” she said as Sam began checking her over. “They’re too afraid. There’s too much…pain. In the dark. Too many…things that want to hurt them.”

 

“Wait, slow down,” Remus said, kneeling before her. “Solarin, tell us where you were.”

 

“I was here, with Sam and Neville and the others. And then…it was dark and I couldn’t find my way. And there were…things…in the dark.” She took a moment to gag before she could continue. “Their memories. What they did to them, how they hurt them. I was stuck in all that. And…they were…hurting me. And then Frank found me, and took me to their house. It’s where they are. They built it, in their minds, the house they lived in. It’s where they’re safe. And I was safe there with them. But it was stupid. Staying there and missing everything, so I had to come back. Through the dark.”

 

“And you found your way,” Bill said. “You found your way back to me.”

 

“I couldn’t feel you,” she said, sniffling. “I could feel the thread between us but I couldn’t feel you.”

 

“I could feel you,” he said with a smile. “I could feel how strong you were.”

 

“I’m so sorry,” Neville said from the doorway. “I never should have asked you to do this, it was wrong to ask. I’m so sorry.”

 

Sol managed to sit up a little and reached out with her free hand, making a grabbing motion at him until he came and sat on the floor with her, where she pulled him into a hug.

 

“Don’t,” she said. “Don’t you dare blame any of this on yourself. I don’t do anything I don’t want to do. This was my choice and I don’t regret it, not a single bit. I’m just sorry they wouldn’t come with me.”

 

“You met them?”

 

“I did. And they love you so much, Neville, so much. The pain and fear is just too much for them. They’re too afraid of what was done to them to go through it again.”

 

“I understand,” he said softly. “Are they okay there?”

 

“They are.”

 

If he hadn’t been unable to look at Solarin, Sirius would have missed it. But, as it was, he had to look away from her to compose himself. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing a member of his pack.

 

Frank reached out, hand sliding over the blankets as he blinked up at the ceiling.

 

“Frank?” Sirius said, taking the searching hand. “Frank? Can you hear me?”

 

“Sirius?” he rasped, voice rough with lack of use.

 

“Hey! Hey, pal. It’s okay, you’re okay.”

 

“Alice.”

 

Sirius looked over at the woman, who was in a similar state, staring up at the ceiling as she slowly moved her hands and feet. She was silent but tears were slowly dripping down her cheeks.

 

“She’s here, right here. Sam!”

 

The healer made his way over and blinked in shock. He looked to his alpha, who peered over and shot from the room. He returned with other healers in tow and Augusta, who was as white as a sheet.

 

“You found them,” Neville breathed. “Sweet Merlin, you found them.”

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

Bill tucked his son into bed and watched him sleep for a few minutes. It had taken over an hour for Dorian to drift off in his and Solarin’s bed, his little fingers tangled in her hair.

 

Daven had happily blown raspberries at her mother until Bill fed her and then played with her feet until she was sleepy.

 

Bill stroked Dorian’s curls and pressed a kiss to his dark head before he left the room, pulling the door to but not shutting it fully. He wanted him to be able to come to them in the night if he needed to.

 

Solarin was absolutely exhausted. Not only had she used a tremendous about of magic, but she’d seen things in the darkness that had scared her more than anything else she’d ever seen. She was curled up under the blankets facing the door, blinking sleepily.

 

“Thought you’d be asleep,” he commented as he pushed the door to, leaving it ajar.

 

“Waiting,” she mumbled.

 

“Waiting?”

 

[For you.]

 

He didn’t waste time and stripped down to his boxers as he crossed the room, sliding in and pulling her into his hold.

 

“I’m right here, baby. Right here.”

 

She nuzzled back into his chest and tangled their fingers.

 

“I can’t believe they followed me,” she said into the stillness. “They…they were so scared.”

 

“I know. I felt how scared you were.”

 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get lost.”

 

“You found your way. Baby, it’s okay. You didn’t mean to.”

 

“Bellatrix deserved what I did to her,” she said. “What she did to them was…she deserved it.”

 

“Don’t think about it. She’s gone, they’re all gone, and Frank and Alice are safe now. The healers will rehabilitate them and then they can get back to their lives. Well. Sort of. They’ll be okay. And you did that. You brought a whole family back together.”

 

“Hey,” she said, smiling up at him. “How about we don’t go to the hospital for a while? Because that, for me, would be spectacular.”

 

“Promise,” he said, kissing her. He took her arm and pressed his thumb to the skin, watching how long it took for the colour to come back after he eased up. “You need some fluids. I’m just going to run a bag and then we’ll sleep okay?”

 

She hummed and watched as he crossed to the dresser they’d cleared out for her medical stuff and placed under a cooling charm. He cast cleansing charms over everything before he connected the bag to her NJ tube and made it hover above her, then opening the flow so it would run overnight.

 

She settled with her head on his chest and fell almost immediately asleep. He held her close and took comfort in her closeness before he let himself follow her into dreams.

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

Harry’s birthday wake up call was a little different this year. It was not Severus gifting him another memory and then making love. This year he was awakened by Miri using the trunk of blankets to climb up onto their bed and snuggle between her parents.

 

“A morning!” she said with a smile as his green eyes opened.

 

“Good morning, baby,” he said, nuzzling into her neck to press kisses and cuddle her close.

 

“Happy birday!”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Good morning, love,” Severus said, pressing a kiss to his hair.

 

He craned his head and kissed Severus, keeping it light and gentle for the sake of their daughter.

 

“Happy birthday, my love.”

 

“Wow. I’m eighteen. I can go and drink now in a Muggle pub. All legal.”

 

“No longer jailbait in either world.”

 

“Huh. Well, there goes that fantasy.”

 

Severus laughed and kissed him.

 

They spent a little while cuddling and talking before they got up and prepared for the day and made their way down to breakfast, where their family were waiting for them.

 

“Happy birthday!” Dorian yelled as they entered and Harry smiled, scooping him up and spinning him around.

 

“Thank you.”

 

He drunkenly staggered back to his seat as the rest bestowed their wishes and they began eating. Breakfast was as usual, but with gifts piled up in front of Harry. He finished his breakfast and opened them, thanking the givers.

 

Books, craft supplies, art materials, clothes. A really nice pair of boots, a hand made dragonhide jacket. Severus got him a very fancy sewing machine that could be tuned into his magic and run off of that instead of electricity.

 

“Right,” Severus said as the meal began to wind down. “The train for the zoo leaves in about an hour.”

 

They all went their separate ways to get ready and convened in the entrance hall. They piled into the waiting Ministry cars Severus had booked and made their way to Kings Cross, where they headed to platform 7 and a 1/2. Usually the platform ran for further travel to Europe, but they had begun to offer the train to Wales for the zoo visitors to use. In twos and threes they passed through the wall between platforms seven and eight and emerged, looking up at the blue steam engine.

 

They took their seats and began the two-hour ride to Cardiff station. The weather was beautiful, warm and sunny with fluffy clouds softly floating across the blue sky.

 

From Cardiff Station, they boarded the orange magical bus for the hour-long ride to the zoo. Severus paid the admission and they entered.

 

“Wow,” Hermione said, looking around at all the enclosures. “This is big.”

 

“Biggest magical menagerie in Europe,” Bill said, hoisting Dorian onto his shoulders.

 

They split into a few smaller groups and wandered off to investigate whatever caught their eye. Charlie and Nixie set off with Ron, Hermione and the twins to look at the incendiary animals. Fred, George, Oliver, Bill, Solarin and the kids headed off to investigate the water dwellers. Sam and Tonks went off with Ginny, Arthur, Jack and Anne to look at the Mooncalves.

 

Harry, Severus, Remus and Sirius led Miri towards the petting area. There were baby Nifflers in little nests filled with gold, unicorn foals munching on carrots, demiguises flitting in and out of view. A display of bowtruckles were chittering away while puffskiens were humming away happily in the hands of little witches and wizards.

 

Severus squatted down and smiled at his daughter in her little blue dress. “Look, sweetheart,” he said. “All the animals.”

 

“Lots and lots,” she said.

 

“Would you like to pet one?”

 

“Like Rommy?”

 

“Yes, just like Rommy. These animals are here for people to pet and hold. Would you like to?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Which one would you like to see first?”

 

She peered around at all the possibilities before holding her hands up to Harry. He picked her up and she toyed with his hair, looking around from the higher vantage point.

 

“Don’t know,” she mumbled, snuggling into his neck.

 

He rubbed her back and swayed as Severus smiled gently. It was just too much choice for her. She wanted all of them, all at once. The same thing happened when Harry took her to buy sweets or to a toy shop.

 

“It’s okay, baby,” he soothed. “How about I pick something to start with?”

 

“Okay,” she said quietly.

 

He slowly wandered off towards the puffskiens. The woman greeted them and picked up a blue ball of fluff. Harry took it in a palm, stroking its belly with his fingers. Miri peeked out curiously and slowly reached to pat it gently.

 

“Like Smoo,” she declared.

 

“That’s right,” Severus agreed. “This is a grown up one. Smoo is a miniature version of this animal.”

 

“Soft.”

 

“Very soft.”

 

It took a while, but Harry eventually managed to lead her away to the demiguises where one hugged her, and to the bowtruckles, who happily climbed all over all of them. The nifflers milled around their ankles, squeaking in excitement at the coins they held out for them.

 

Finally they made their way to the baby unicorns. They absolutely loved Miri, nuzzling at her belly and nickering at her little patting hands. Harry confused them, and the older men smiled. Eventually one brave foal carefully picked her way over and accepted the handful of food Harry held out.

 

They spent a few hours going to this creature and that before Miri grew bored and they made their way to other parts of the zoo. They were lucky enough to catch the phoenix exhibit as the keepers were doing a show, and Miri got to carefully stroke her fingers over red feathers and hold a newly hatched flameling in her gentle hands.

 

They met up with everyone else at the theme restaurant, the walls covered in moving paintings of different creatures, the tables shaped like different leaves.

 

They recounted their morning, telling each other of what they’d seen and planning what they wanted for the remainder of the day.

 

Severus was listening to Dorian tell him of the baby sea serpents he’d been allowed to pass through his hands and cutting up Miri’s Sea Serpent Spaghetti when Harry stiffened beside him and pushed away his barely touched burger and fries.

 

“Harry? Something wrong with the food?”

 

“Don’t want it anymore,” he mumbled, curling in on himself.

 

Severus passed Miri’s utensils to Anne and turned to him, resting one arm on the back of his chair.

 

“What’s wrong, love?”

 

“That,” he said, nodding to the bushes on the far side of the restaurant. It took a moment, but Severus spotted the camera lens, just as Sirius and Ron spotted it too. The two of them shot from their seats and ran over. Sirius grabbed the man and Ron the camera.

 

“What gives you the right to take unwanted pictures of my son, hmm?” Sirius snarled.

 

“He…he’s Harry Potter!” the man stuttered.

 

“Again, what gives you the right?” Ron pressed.

 

“Come on! Everyone wants to know about the Boy Who Lived! And it’s his birthday! A national celebration!”

 

Someone had alerted security, and two huge wizards burst into the restaurant, wands out at the ready.

 

“Sir, please, put the man down,” the first requested and Sirius glared for a moment before letting go, making the man slump back against the decorative bush he’d been hiding behind. “Thank you. Now, would one of you like to explain what’s gone on here?”

 

“He was taking pictures of my friend,” Ron said, holding out the camera.

 

“I’m a photographer, it’s my job,” the man said, as if he had every right.

 

“I see,” said the second guard. “Sir, do you have permission to be taking photographs of a minor?”

 

“He’s not a minor!”

 

“He may not be, but his daughter and her cousins are minors. Do you have any way to prove you didn’t capture them in your pictures?”

 

“Well, no.”

 

“Sir, I am detaining you under the new laws protecting underage witches and wizards, to await the arrival of representatives of the Ministry of Magic, where you may face legal action.”

 

“What? Wait!” he cried as the second guard pulled his arms behind his back, securing his wrists together with a spell. “What law!”

 

“The law that says taking pictures of minors without the express permission and knowledge of their parents and or guardians is illegal and immoral.”

 

The first guard lingered as he was led away and took a moment to assure them of things before he followed his colleague.

 

Sirius and Ron re-joined the table, where Harry was completely curled in on himself.

 

“All taken care of, pup,” Sirius promised.

 

“See, love? Nothing to worry about,” Severus agreed. “This is your day, and this trip is your treat. You get to enjoy it, just like anyone else. He had no right to take pictures, and the law supports that.”

 

Ron glanced at Severus at this and then at Solarin, who was carefully focussed on Daven and her bottle. Of course. His sister-in-law had been listening in.

 

It took a few moments but eventually Harry calmed down and continued eating.

 

They finished up their meal (including a cake that Ron had baked) before they headed off as a whole group to make a lap of the whole zoo, talking and enjoying the remainder of the day. They saw the serpents Dorian had talked about, the display of moving paintings of dragons. The zoo wasn’t equipped to handle the large creatures in a way that would keep them healthy and happy, and the visitors safe. They could visit the reserve that Charlie worked at if they really wanted to see them in person. They saw mooncalves and murtlaps and adult nifflers. Occamy’s and thunderbirds and nunduses. Erumpents and billywigs and swooping evils.

 

They finished up the day with a visit to a replica of the case Newt Scamander himself had used to care for the creatures he studied, marvelling at the way he had organised it and utilised the space, keeping all those marvels hidden from the Muggles around him.

 

On the bus back to the station and the train back to London, they talked about all the things they’d seen. Chupacabra, leucrottas, doxies and kelpies, an augurey that had taken a shine to Ginny, kappas and firedrakes and a blue oni. Miri had loved the huge cat-like zouwu, Severus had several ideas of what to do with the toxic slime produced by the streelers, and Harry had found the baby grindylow’s adorable. Much more enjoyable than their adult counterparts.

 

There had been exhibits with paintings other than the dragons. One on the boggart, only an exhibit because no one knew what they actually looked like in their natural form, and another on the maledictus, an exhibit because it was considered a curse and thus cruel to keep one in a zoo.

 

That night, Harry put an exhausted Miri to bed and then joined Severus in their own room, where the former professor was laying naked on their bed, pyjamas in hand.

 

“Is this an invitation?” Harry asked with a grin.

 

“It was me changing,” he said, smiling, not opening his eyes. “I handled the shower just fine. Grabbed sleepwear with no problem. And then I sat down and it all went pear shaped. I’m knackered. I had no idea there would be quite that much to see.” He hummed and cracked open an eye when Harry climbed astride him, naked.

 

“Too knackered?”

 

“Oh, now that’s just not fair,” he moaned. “How can I possibly say no to you when you’re naked in my lap?”

 

“Easy. Just tell me you’re too tired.”

 

He snorted and wriggled them up the bed so his head could lay on the pillows, where he threaded his fingers into Harry’s hair and pulled him down for a kiss.

 

“I honestly don’t know. I want to, but I’m not sure I can finish what I start.”

 

“Ah. Well…I did have an idea. I think it would be me doing most of the work.”

 

“Really? I can’t imagine what that would entail.”

 

Harry smiled down at him shyly, his cheeks darkening, and Severus waited patiently.

 

“I was wondering…if…maybe, if you wanted to…we could…do it the other way,” he said haltingly, nervously.

 

“The other way?”

 

“Yeah. With…well, with me inside you.”

 

“Oh. Oh! I see. Well, that is different. And yes, I suppose you’re right, you would conceivably do most of the work. Do you really want to?”

 

“I’ve been thinking about it,” he said, stroking gentle fingertips through Severus’ chest hair. “And I know it’s not supposed to hurt. None of it is supposed to. But it’s hard to believe it. So I thought, you know, if I did it to you first, I could see.”

 

“You won’t hurt me,” he assured, cupping his cheek and catching his eyes. “It may be a little uncomfortable to begin, because it has been a rather long time since I was last penetrated. But no pain, I promise.”

 

“Do you want to?”

 

“If you are that way inclined, I would be amenable to the idea.”

 

Harry grinned and leaned in to kiss him, growing more bold as their lips moved, his tongue teasing Severus’ as they rolled around the bed. Eventually, Severus spread his legs and let Harry settle between them, hiking a thigh up on Harry’s hip to get them closer. The feel of their cocks sliding against each other sent a plume of bubbles through his veins and he moaned.

 

“Roll over,” Harry murmured as he detached, sliding across the bed to the drawer for the lube.

 

Severus rolled onto his front, pushing one pillow beneath his hips, curling around another to rest his head. Soon enough there were gentle fingers on his back followed by careful kisses along his spine.

 

“Do you need me to guide you, love?” he asked quietly, sighing at the feel of Harry stroking his buttocks and dipping careful fingertips between them in the best possible tease.

 

“Not yet. I know how to do the first bit. But…can I still take you if I accidentally make you come from my fingers?”

 

Severus adored how unashamed Harry was when it came to their intimate matters. He never had a problem with asking Severus for what to do when they enjoyed each other.

 

“Yes, you still can. It may help, actually. Makes everything all relaxed. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Just your fingers first, just stretch me out. I’ll let you know when I can take you.”

 

Harry pressed a kiss to his shoulder before he sat back on his heels. He pushed one of Severus’ legs, causing his knee to bend as his thighs parted, giving his lover more room. Then the pop of the cap, and then the cool slick feeling of lubed fingers stroking over his hole. He settled in to enjoy it as a tentative fingertip eased past the ring of muscle, and he pushed back on it, earning another shoulder kiss and a deeper penetration of the finger.

 

Harry was slow and methodical, watching Severus carefully for reactions, adding more or moving deeper or faster when Severus reacted favourably, or slowing down and easing back when he tensed. Every few minutes he would stroke Severus’ prostate and make him shiver and gasp.

 

“Harry, love, please,” Severus begged when he had three fingers and the tease of a fourth. “Please.”

 

“What do you need?”

 

“You. I need you. Need you inside me,” he moaned, hips moving to follow the movement inside. “Please, Harry.”

 

The fingers were removed and Severus mourned the loss of them.

 

Harry coated his penis in lube. He hoped it was enough, but Severus would tell him if it wasn’t.

 

“Umm,” Harry said. “Severus? What do I…”

 

Severus pushed his pillows out of the way and moved to his hands and knees, trapping his kneeling lover between his feet.

 

“Like this, love. Up on your knees,” he said, watching as Harry followed his direction. “Good. Now, closer to me, that’s it.” He went down onto his shoulder and reached back to open himself. “See? Right there, Harry. Just push in, slow and easy to start. I’ll tell you if I’m not enjoying myself.”

 

Harry took hold of the base of his penis and lined it up with the glistening ring of muscle. The position allowed him to ignore how much taller Severus was than him, put them at a good height with Harry kneeling on one of the pillows Severus had discarded. Carefully, he used his weight to push forward, fearing that perhaps he wouldn’t fit for a moment, until the head popped in and Severus gasped.

 

“Sweet Merlin,” the older wizard moaned. He’d forgotten just how it felt to be taken, how vulnerable it could make him feel, how much pleasure there was to be had. The hand he’d used to pull his buttock moved to Harry’s hip and held him. “It’s good.”

 

Harry gripped one hip and continued on with his forward push, slowly sinking in. It was tight, so tight, and hot. It felt insanely good. There was so much to feel like this. No wonder Severus enjoyed taking him.

 

He went a few inches before Severus’ grip tightened. “A moment, Harry, just a moment. I need to adjust to you.”

 

“Okay,” he said, using the hand on his hip to stroke Severus back. He amused himself by drawing mindless patterns on the expanse of skin before Severus tugged him forward again.

 

They went on like that, Harry getting a few inches deeper before Severus needed to pause, then signalling he was ready. Finally, after what felt like an age, their hips met and Harry felt his balls rest against Severus’. The pressure meant he felt it in his clit too, and he moaned, ducking down to press a kiss to Severus’ back.

 

“You okay?” Harry mumbled against his skin.

 

“Mmmm,” Severus moaned, wriggling his hips back against him.

 

Pure sensation swept through Harry at the movement and he gasped, gripping both his hips.

 

“Sorry, love,” Severus sighed. “Take your time. Deep breaths.”

 

After a few moments Harry was ready to move, and he carefully pulled back. He didn’t want to slip out, so he was mindful of what he was doing. Once he was out as far as he dared, he pushed back in and Severus groaned in a definite happy sound. He gradually found his way, moving with more purpose, and then adjusting his angle until Severus jerked like he’d been shocked.

 

“Are you okay?” Harry asked, holding very still.

 

“That was a good thing,” he breathed. “Liked it. Very much.”

 

“Should I keep doing that then?” he teased.

 

“Fuck yes.”

 

Harry grinned and began thrusting again, careful of his angle, until Severus was gasping and moaning, pushing back to meet him. He was gripping at the sheets, pulling at his own hair, and Harry basked in the power he had over his husband. He did that, he made him feel that way.

 

However, Harry was only eighteen, and his stamina was not limitless. He had held back as long as he could but he could feel himself teetering on the edge.

 

“Severus,” he whined, pressing his forehead to the older mans back as his hips continued to move, unable to stop.

 

“I know,” he gasped. He reached back and fumbled for a moment before he wrapped his long fingers around Harry’s wrist and tugged his hand around to his leaking penis. “Please.”

 

Harry wrapped his fingers around the hard hot length and began to stroke and squeeze, rubbing the head with his thumb. He managed to keep his balance on Severus’ back and used his other hand to cup his balls, tugging them slightly and rolling them in their sac. Severus pressed back harder and faster, as if he wasn’t sure if he wanted the fucking or the stroking more, before he screamed and shot all over the sheets, shudders and shivers wracking his long frame as he cried and gasped.

 

The pressure around Harry’s cock increased tenfold as Severus came and he couldn’t help it. He thrust hard and deep into him, wrapping his arms around his waist as he choked out a curse, forgetting how to breathe for a moment as he released inside his husband.

 

As was the norm for them, Severus managed to regain his senses first. He carefully slid down so he was laying on his front and then tilted slightly to his right so Harry slipped off his back. Then he settled on his side and pulled his young lover close, nuzzling and petting him until he came back to him.

 

“Mmmm,” Harry moaned.

 

“Welcome back,” Severus said amusedly. “Have fun?”

 

“Mmmm, loads. You like it?” he mumbled, his mouth not quite on board with talking.

 

“Immensely. I must say, we have to have a repeat performance of this. It was exquisite.”

 

“Really? I was okay?” he asked and Severus chuckled.

 

“Okay? Oh, my darling boy, you are seriously undervaluing your sexual prowess. That was incredible.”

 

Harry snuggled contentedly into him, hands pressed to his chest so he could feel Severus’ heart.

 

“Love you.”

 

“As I love you,” Severus assured, managing just enough wandless magic to clean them and the bedding before he tugged the sheets over them and rearranged the pillows, all while holding Harry to him.

 

“Impressive.”

 

“Why thank you,” he said with a smile and a kiss to his dark hair. “Harry?”

 

“Mmmm?”

 

“Happy birthday.”

 

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Sirius looked up from the book he was searching through as Hermione burst through the door of the library. It had been a week since the zoo and they were all happily back into the daily routine of normal day to day life.

 

Harry had handled the anniversary of his first abduction much more calmly this year. He had been quiet and withdrawn the morning of the day, but it had passed. No fearful days-long lead up, no full panic attacks, no refusing to let anyone touch Miri. They had given him some space that morning, and by lunch he was back to his usual happy self.

 

“I found something,” she said breathlessly. “It’s really old magic, probably won’t work, but it’s something.”

 

Remus took the book she held and scanned the page.

 

“This is good,” he breathed. “This could work. Oh. Oh no. We can’t.”

 

“What? Why, why, why?” Sirius begged. “You said it could work. Why won’t it work? Oh. I see.”

 

He had scanned down the instructions and drawn to a stop at the main component.

 

“No,” Hermione argued. “It’ll work!”

 

“It’s requires blood from a direct relative,” Remus said. “We…we can’t ask Harry to help us. You know how badly he’s taking it all.”

 

“Maybe we should ask him and see how he takes it,” Bill suggested.

 

“I won’t ask that of my son.”

 

“Okay. I’ll ask him,” Bill said, and was out the door before anyone could stop him.

 

The curse breaker headed up to Harry and Severus’ bedroom and knocked, waiting for someone to open it. He knew better than to open it himself. He’d learnt the hard way with Ron and Hermione, and he would never be able to scrub the image of his baby brothers arse thrusting from his mind. He never ever wanted to see Harry like that, or, Merlin forbid, Severus.

 

“Bill,” Severus said as he opened the door. “It’s late. Is everything quite alright?”

 

“Oh, no, everything’s fine, she’s fine. I just need to ask Harry for a favour.”

 

“A favour?” Harry asked and Severus stepped to the side. Harry was sat up in bed with a book on his lap. Severus’ side of the bed was mussed and his own book lay discarded.

 

“Yeah. It’s…uh…well, here’s the thing. You know we’ve been working on trying to find James, and it kind of looked like another dead end. But Hermione went deep into the really old books in the library. She found a spell that might give us a clue, but…well…here’s the thing…”

 

“Do spit it out,” Severus drawled, his voice low and dangerous.

 

“We need a blood relative to James for it to work.”

 

“A blood relative,” Harry repeated, his book lowering to the duvet. “Which…that’s only me.”

 

“We need a little blood.”

 

“Oh. Just blood?”

 

“I think so.”

 

Harry chewed on his lip for a moment before he placed his bookmark and got out of his little nest.

 

“Okay. But I’m not helping do the spell. Just the blood,” he stipulated.

 

“Absolutely.”

 

Bill led the younger Gryffindor to the library, with Severus trailing behind them, and the others looked surprised that he had actually managed to get Harry to agree.

 

“It’s only blood, right?” Harry asked nervously.

 

“Only blood,” Sirius promised. “And only a few drops. A single finger stick, that’s it. Promise.”

 

“Okay. Then take it and I’m going back to bed.”

 

Hermione came forward with a needle that she passed through the flame of a candle a few times so it was clean. Harry gave her his hand and watched as she stuck his finger with it. Immediately blood welled up and Remus held out a moonstone that had been carved to a point and attached to a chain. Hermione carefully directed Harry’s finger to drip onto it. As they had promised, it was only three drops before Hermione released his hand and smiled at him.

 

“Thanks, Harry,” she said as he sucked his finger.

 

“It’s fine,” he mumbled around the digit. “Anything else?”

 

“No, that’s it, pup,” Remus assured. “Off to bed with you now.”

 

He nodded and Severus gave a nod in their direction before he followed his husband. Bill shut the door.

 

“See? No problem.”

 

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They’d been scrying for hours.

 

The sun was rising before even Hermione held up her hands in defeat.

 

The crystal had swung from its chain, over large maps they’d spread out over the old oak dining table they used as a desk. It had mostly swung aimlessly, but every now and then it would pull a little, giving them a burst of renewed hope that they were on the right track.

 

But it didn’t lead anywhere. The little tugs led to nothing, just an open space in the middle of a field or a building that wasn’t there anymore.

 

“It was a long shot anyway,” Bill consoled as his sister-in-law flumped into her chair.

 

“But it had so much promise!” she lamented.

 

“Is it supposed to be doing that?” Sirius asked and they all looked at the crystal.

 

It was spinning and trembling, like a spinning top. Without warning it shot off the table, like a golden Snitch, and stuck like a pin into the globe they kept for decoration. The orb spun around wildly before it slowly stopped.

 

“It’s in Spain. I don’t know if this is even a village,” Remus said.

 

“We’ll soon find out,” Sirius declared.

 

The two men headed up to their room and got dressed, and Remus scooped up Romulus. Sam barely opened his eyes when they woke him.

 

“Alpha?” he muttered. “What’s wrong?”

 

“We might have found him. Can you take care of Rommy for us while we’re gone?”

 

“Yeah, sure,” he yawned and Remus slipped the sleeping puppy into his arms, where Sam nuzzled him until he settled. “How long?”

 

“A few days maybe. Not long.”

 

“Mmm. ‘Kay.”

 

He was snoring again, and Remus stroked Romulus and then Sam’s hair before they left. Anne met them in the entrance hall.

 

“Good luck,” she said, hugging one and then the other. “Be safe.”

 

“Of course,” Sirius promised. “See you soon.”

 

And with that, they took hold of each others hands and Sirius turned on the spot, Apparating them away.

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

They’d been walking for hours, and only now were they on an actual street. It was a tiny town in the Spanish countryside, with a gentle river running through it. By the number of houses, they estimated that there couldn’t be more than 200 people, total.

 

If Sirius were to hide someone, this would be a pretty perfect place to do it.

 

Remus sat down on a low wall and buried his face in his hands.

 

“Easy, honey,” Sirius soothed, kneeling before him and stroking his hair.

 

“I don’t think I can do this, Siri,” he admitted. “If we don’t find him, if we’ve come this close and it’s all for nothing…”

 

“Hey. We don’t know that yet. He might be here.”

 

“Hola.”

 

Sirius looked up at the middle aged woman peering at them from her doorway. They were on her wall after all.

 

“Hello. English?” Sirius asked and she smiled.

 

“Yes, but only little,” she admitted. “Lost?”

 

He wagged his head. “Maybe. We’re looking for someone.”

 

“Looking?”

 

Remus stood and pulled out the Muggle-developed picture of James. It had been taken not long after Harry had been born, only hours before they had gone into hiding. He was young and tired looking, but still happy.

 

“Yes. This man?” he asked, holding it out.

 

She walked down the path and took it, looking for only a moment before she smiled.

 

“Ah, si! Senor Santiago! He live here.”

 

“He does? Really? Where? Is he okay?”

 

“Slow, slow,” she begged, using her hands to motion them to stop.

 

“This man,” Sirius said, pointing to the picture, “lives here?” He pointed to the ground at his feet.

 

“Si.”

 

“You’re sure it’s this man?”

 

“Si.”

 

“Where does he live?” he asked, pointing to the houses.

 

“No, no, not here. Up.” She pointed to the path leading out of the village and into the hills. “Un momento.”

 

She hurried back inside and they stood waiting until she came out with a piece of paper and a pencil. She leaned on the doghouse in her garden and sketched something quickly, before she handed it over.

 

“Me,” she said, pointing to the little stick house she’d drawn. Then she trailed her finger along the weaving path and to the path into the hills. She finally pointed to the second house she’d drawn. “Senor Santiago. Si?”

 

“Yes, thank you,” Sirius said, leaning over to kiss her cheek. She blushed and giggled.

 

They expressed their thanks for a few more minutes before she waved them way and they began to follow the path.

 

It was a long trek, almost two hours, before they saw the faint outline of a low white house. The closer they drew to it, the more they could see of it. It was a white bungalow, very small, only big enough for a single bedroom, with a series of outbuildings. The garden was neat and well-tended, abundant in fruit and vegetables and herbs.

 

But they were all Muggle plants. Not even a magical weed poking out of a hidden corner.

 

They worked the latch on the gate and rang the ornate metal bell as they passed it, and after a few moments there was a call in Spanish from the building closest to the house. They moved closer, just in time to see a familiar man appear in the doorway.

 

He was older than they remembered, but tanned and tall and alive. James blinked at the sun before he caught sight of them and froze, his mouth working silently. His dark hair had a wide streak of white, right at the front, startling against his raven locks, as messy as Harry’s.

 

“James,” Remus murmured, and took a step forwards, only to freeze as James dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

 

“Please,” he whispered as they rushed over. “Please, Remus, Alpha. Please. Be quick. I beg you…please make it quick.”

 

“What?” Sirius asked, the word bursting out without his control. “Make what quick?”

 

“You…you’re here to kill me,” James stuttered, confused. “I know that, I understand. Just…make it quick?”

 

“Kill you?” Remus said, utterly baffled. “James, why would we kill you?”

 

“Because…because it’s my fault, because of what I did.”

 

“James, you didn’t do anything.”

 

“But I did!” he argued, shoving them away as they reached to touch him. He stood and backed away from them, backing up until his back hit the wall of the building he’d emerged from. “I did and you’re here to punish me!”

 

“Prongs, I swear to you, on my life, on my bond with Sirius, we’re not here to hurt you or punish you. We were just trying to find you, that’s all.”

 

He stared at the werewolf for a while, long enough for Sirius to worry that his friend had gone into shock.

 

“Why?” James whispered. “You should kill me. I deserve it. I should have, that…that night. I should have died and I didn’t and I should.”

 

“Bullshit,” Sirius spat. “No one deserved to die that night, especially not you.”

 

“I got them killed, Pads,” James said, and he sounded so very tired.

 

“You got no one killed!”

 

“So Lily? And Ha…the baby? They died for no reason did they? You told me, Pads, you told me to be sure the person I chose was trustworthy, and I didn’t listen. I had to have Peter, I had to have it my way, and they’re dead because of it.”

 

“Harry isn’t dead,” Remus said and James turned on him, hands buried in the front of his shirt, the thinner man pinning the werewolf to the parched ground.

 

“How dare you! How dare you lie to me!”

 

Sirius took James under the arms and yanked him off his husband, pushing him back and pinning him against the wall.

 

“How dare you think Remus would ever lie to you?” he snarled. “How could you ever think that of him?”

 

“Sirius…” Remus soothed, a gentle hand on his shoulder.

 

“No. That’s not okay. No matter what else has happened, what lies Dumbledore told, calling you a liar is not okay!”

 

“Albus?” James murmured. “Did he send you? Is that how you found me?”

 

Sirius backed away and swore violently. “I knew it, I fucking knew it!”

 

“Sweetheart, please calm down. This isn’t helping,” Remus cooed, stroking his hair.

 

“How many more things are we going to find? How many more lies are there? Remus, he’s fucked with every member of our pack, every single one. How is any of it okay?”

 

“It isn’t, not by a long shot. But James doesn’t know any of this, he doesn’t understand. All he has are those lies. Seventeen years, Pads. He needs us to help him.”

 

Sirius leaned in and captured his lips, calming himself in the kiss, until he was more steady and pulled back, resting their foreheads together. Then he pulled away and looked at James.

 

“James, come on,” he said carefully, holding out his hand. “Let’s go inside and have a drink. We’ll explain everything, we’ll help you. Come on, Prongs.”

 

James scrubbed at his face and took his hand, letting him pull him up to his feet and lead him inside.

 

Once upon a time, it had been James leading Sirius through things. Showing him the way to go and the ways not to.

 

Now he trusted Sirius to guide him, and Remus to welcome him back into the pack.

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

Solarin sighed and pushed her hair back.

 

“I’m so sorry,” Magnus said.

 

“I don’t understand,” Bill said. “The amount of magic she used to bring them back and it was worth nothing?”

 

“No, not at all,” Magnus assured. “It did a lot for the issue. It drained a lot of her magic. But it just wasn’t quite enough. It didn’t release the trapped old magic.”

 

“What do I do now?” Solarin asked.

 

“Honestly, I don’t know. We need a way to release it, that much is clear. But I don’t know anything bigger than what you just did.”

 

“We’ll keep looking,” Alec promised. “There must be something, we just haven’t found it yet.”

 

“Can’t you just drain all of it?” Bill pressed. “Drain all of her magic?”

 

“It’s not possible,” the warlock said sadly. “A being like Sol can’t live without her magic. If we drain it all, she will literally cease to exist. Doing that will certainly kill her.”

 

Bill sighed and buried his face in his hands. Sol wanted to comfort him but just couldn’t find it in herself. She thanked Magnus and silently left the room, and Bill let her go. She needed time to think, and she couldn’t do that if he was hanging on her.

 

Solarin made her way out to the garden and watched the sky change colour as the sun rose. It was almost light when Severus appeared with his coffee in hand and joined her. He didn’t mention her hastily wiped tears.

 

“Magnus explained,” he said softly. “We’ll keep looking, we’ll find something.”

 

“Severus…if we don’t. Or if we find it too late. I need…”

 

“Sol, please,” he begged. “Don’t do this. Please.”

 

“I’m not saying my goodbyes. I have faith in Magnus, and in you. But I’m facing facts. This is serious, and I don’t know how much my body can take. I need to know that my children will be okay if the worst happens.”

 

“Of course they will,” he said fiercely. “They will have Bill, and they will have me and Harry, they will have all of us. We are all family and those children will be loved and protected, I swear it.”

 

She sighed and nodded. “Sevus. I need you to promise me, to swear to me. You won’t let any of this happen to Miri. It can’t. She can’t suffer like this, she can’t be afraid of herself. Please. Please promise me that this won’t be her in twenty years.”

 

He dropped his mug on the grass, uncaring of where it landed and spilled, and gathered her close, his hold so tight it almost hurt.

 

“No one will ever do to her anything that was done to you,” he murmured into her hair. “I won’t let it happen.”

 

“Thank you.” She stayed in his arms as the world truly came to life. “Sevus…I am so scared.”

 

He rocked her, wiping away her tears. “I know, sweetheart. I know. I am too. But we have each other, you and I. It has always been enough before. It will be enough now.”

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

It had been a long night, filled with talking and more wine than they should have had. But it was all out in the open now.

 

They’d told James everything. What happened in Godric’s Hollow that night, where Harry had gone, all that had happened to Remus and Sirius, Peter’s fate, and everything Harry had been through. They left nothing out, even who Harry was married to, though that had gone down spectacularly. They showed him pictures of Harry and his friends, Severus, Miri, all of their pack.

 

By the time the sun rose, James had also recounted his tale.

 

After that fateful night, he’d laid in a coma for months, only to wake in a room deep within Hogwarts. Albus had nursed him back to health and then spent the next three years moving him around the world, hiding him places for only a few weeks at a time before moving him. That accounted for the trouble they’d had finding him, why the crystal had landed so many places.

 

He’d told James that Lily and Harry had died that night, and that Remus was so blindingly angry with him that he would kill him should he ever find him. To that end, James had happily destroyed his wand, and forsaken everything even remotely Magical. He’d lived completely as a Muggle in an attempt to stay hidden.

 

“Is he okay?” James asked again.

 

“He’s doing wonderfully now,” Sirius promised. “You’ll see, James. He’s so happy and healthy, and he’s a wonderful parent. You’ll love Miri, absolutely adore her.”

 

“You keep saying it all like I’ll ever see them.”

 

“You will,” Remus said. “You’re going to come home with us.”

 

“Why would Harry ever even look at me again, let alone let me near his daughter? After what I’ve done?”

 

“He doesn’t blame anyone for believing Albus.”

 

“Why? He should. I was so fucking stupid.”

 

“You made a mistake,” Sirius argued. “We’re all allowed a few. I’m living proof of that. If I get to have Harry love me after all I’ve done, then so do you.”

 

“I thought I knew best,” he said, staring into his wine. “Lily wanted to tell you, said it was dangerous for Harry if no one but us knew. But I made her keep her mouth shut. And look what happened. Lucius found out before any of you and did…that to him. He hurt Harry, and it’s my fault.”

 

“Don’t you dare,” Sirius snapped. “No one is to blame for what happened to Harry except Lucius, and I won’t have ANYONE taking that blame. Even if we had known, what would we do? Lock him up his whole life? Wrap him in cotton wool in case anyone possibly got an idea about him?”

 

“You could have been there for him. Helped him understand what he is. Instead, he got Petunia and her bullshit.”

 

Remus sighed and pushed himself to his feet, wandering to the window.

 

“Don’t you think I feel that?” he said sadly. “I was there, James. Right there. I thought he trusted me, liked me even. And he didn’t come to me. I know what you feel, I do. But there is absolutely nothing I can do about that. It was how he felt at the time, and the way a child feels is always valid. He has the right to feel the way he feels and I won’t take that away from him, nor will I allow anyone else to.”

 

“I’m sorry, Moony,” James said gently, moving to join him. “I didn’t mean to say he isn’t allowed to feel things. I’m just…”

 

“Feeling guilty. I know. And you are allowed to feel that. Just so long as it doesn’t take away from his feelings.”

 

James sighed and seemed to sag into himself. Remus reached out and pulled him in, wrapping him up in his arms and burying his face in James’ neck. He smelled different from before, more earthy, less like the spice he associated with magical beings, but under it all he was still James. Still the same scent of fresh cut grass and the wind of being on a broom and something sweet he could never quite name. His inner wolf purred in satisfaction, kneading away with his paws in a way that made Remus’ human side feel all warm and happy.

 

“I’ve missed you,” Remus murmured. “Come home, Prongs. Please. Come home.”

 

“What if Harry doesn’t want me there?”

 

“He does, I swear it. Please. I…I need you to come home. I need my pack to be whole.”

 

He felt James’ tears against his shoulder, soaking into his shirt.

 

“Okay,” he whispered and Remus sagged in relief. He pulled back and looked Remus in the eye. “I’ll come back with you. But I need you to let this be his choice. If Harry changes his mind, if he decides I can’t be there, then you have to let me go. Remus, you have to promise to let this be his decision, completely on his own.”

 

“James, you’re an idiot,” Sirius scoffed, poking through the kitchen for something to eat. “He’s a Potter. Since when has a single Potter in the history of time let anyone make their choices for them?”

 

“Sirius has a point,” Remus agreed. “Harry is quite certain of his choices once he’s made them. In fact, I don’t think anyone, Severus included, could change his mind once it’s set.”

 

“Fine. I just need to be sure. He has to want me there. If he doesn’t, then you need to follow that and let me leave.”

 

Sirius and Remus looked at one another, weighing up the conditions they’d been set.

 

“Alright,” Remus said eventually. “If Harry doesn’t want you there, then we won’t stop you leaving. But you have to give him that chance, Prongs.”

 

James nodded and headed off to pack a bag while Sirius moved in to kiss his husband.

 

“We found him,” he whispered when they parted. “And he’s coming home.”

 

Remus sagged against him, feeling his wolf relax with the knowledge that their pack was complete by one more piece. There would always be pieces missing, always be those gaps that could never be filled, but what they had found was enough.

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

It took all her foundation and concealer for Harry to speak.

 

“Sol?”

 

“Hmmm?” she hummed, carefully adding kohl to her lower lash line.

 

She didn’t answer as if she didn’t know he’d been hovering outside her open door for the past five minutes before actually appearing in the doorway. He obviously wanted to know something, and she found the best way to set someone at ease was to give them their own sweet time.

 

“Why…ummm…why do you do that?”

 

“Do what?”

 

“Wear…that,” he said, motioning to her face.

 

“You mean the makeup?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Because I like it,” she said simply. “It’s how I choose to look.” She leaned back to admire her handiwork, set down the pencil and selected her lipstick for the day. “Have you ever tried it?”

 

“No!” he said firmly, as if she’d suggested he’d ever tried ritual sacrifice.

 

“Oh. Well, I just thought maybe you wanted some tips or something, maybe to borrow a lipstick.”

 

He chewed on his lower lip as she carefully applied the colour to her lips, using a brush to spread it so it looked more natural.

 

“Does…does every woman wear it?”

 

“No, not all of them. It’s personal choice.”

 

He eased into the room and surveyed her open vanity drawers, looking at all the different bottles and tubes and palettes.

 

“There’s so much,” he murmured.

 

“Eh, I like a choice. What do you think?” she asked, looking at him and motioning to her face.

 

“It’s nice. Pretty.”

 

She hummed happily and sprayed something on her face, fanning herself.

 

“What was that one?”

 

“Setting spray,” she said, holding out the bottle. “It stops things smudging, helps it last longer.”

 

“Seems smart. I mean, you spend a long time on it. It would be a waste if it didn’t last.”

 

He perched on her bed as she carefully applied the tape to keep her tube in place and then she turned to face him.

 

“Something on your mind?”

 

“Boys don’t wear makeup.”

 

“Yes, they do. Magnus wears it and he’s a boy, and he looks fabulous in it. I really need to ask him for tips on eyes, his are a work of art.”

 

“No. Magnus isn’t a boy, Magnus is…Magnus. It’s different.”

 

“So it’s okay for me and Magnus to wear makeup, but for you it wouldn’t be okay?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Why wouldn’t it be okay for you to wear it? It’s your face. Why should anyone else have a say in how your face looks.”

 

He pondered for a minute. “Severus wouldn’t like me wearing it.”

 

“Again, your face, not his. I’m sure he’s not looking to you for an opinion on what to wear or what shoes to buy. Why should he get a say in this?”

 

He didn’t have an answer for her that didn’t sound completely stupid in his head and his mouth worked silently for a few moments before he shut it.

 

“Look, I’m not making your mind up for you,” she said, standing and crossing so she could take his hands in hers. “I’m just pointing out that there’s not actually a reason why you can’t wear cosmetics if you want to. You don’t have to. But you can if you want.”

 

He opened his mouth to reply but Anne appeared in the doorway before he could.

 

“There you are,” she said. “Remus and Sirius are home.”

 

“Did they find him?” Solarin asked, tugging Harry to his feet.

 

“They did. Come have breakfast, poppet,” she cooed, wrapping an arm around her grandsons’ shoulders. “I’ve made you some pancakes.”

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

Severus carefully sprinkled the mint into the potion and stirred in a figure eight until it had all been incorporated. Then he set a timer and wiped off his hands. Now he’d added what he needed to he could head to breakfast. He opened the door to find Miri sitting on the bottom step with a book.

 

“Hello,” he said with a smile and she grinned up at him.

 

“Daddy!”

 

He scooped her up and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

 

“Someone’s getting very good at stairs.” He tucked her book under his arm as he began to climb to the main floor. “Were you waiting for me?”

 

“Daddy has breakfast,” she said, so sure of herself.

 

“I see.”

 

He happily made herself at home pulling the band out of his hair. He tied it back when he was brewing but Miri, like Harry, liked to play with his long dark strands. He was just blowing a raspberry on her cheek when he entered the kitchen and looked up at a strangled gasp.

 

There, hovering by the sink, was James Potter.

 

“Oh. Good morning,” he said carefully.

 

“Gampa’s home!” Miri cried, wriggling until Severus set her on her feet and she happily toddled over, squealing as Remus scooped her up. She set to babbling at him and Sirius while Severus crossed to his usual seat beside Harry’s.

 

Harry was in his chair, focussed on the morning paper. Severus managed to keep his smile small. He knew with absolute certainty that Harry hated the Daily Prophet with a passion. He grabbed a cup and poured himself some coffee as Harry chewed at his pen, frowning at the crossword clue.

 

“Need some help, love?”

 

“Person who takes care of another, five letters, ends in an r.”

 

Severus pondered it while Miri was set into her high chair. He selected the orange she pointed at and began to peel it.

 

“Carer,” he said finally as he set the segments on her tray.

 

Harry smiled and filled it in.

 

“Thanks.”

 

“Any others?”

 

“Maybe.”

 

“Have something to eat while you puzzle,” he prompted and Harry looked up, as if he hadn’t noticed there was food on the table. Severus followed along and added some bacon and hash browns to his plate while Harry took his plate to Anne at the stove. She happily served him two pancakes with chocolate chips and Harry thanked her before he returned to his seat and dug in.

 

“Daddy.”

 

“Yes, poppet.”

 

“Who that?”

 

She was pointing at James.

 

“That man is James. He’s…a friend of Remus and Sirius,” he said cautiously. He couldn’t just go ahead and tell her James was her grandfather, not when Harry hadn’t made a decision on the man yet. “He’s a friendly man.”

 

“Nice man?”

 

“Yes, a nice man,” he said, looking at James.

 

He was very tanned. Severus remembered him being much paler, but then again, Remus and Sirius had gone to the Mediterranean to find him. He had callouses on his hands, so he’d obviously been doing some sort of manual labour, and there was a wide streak of bright white in his hair, right at the front.

 

“Hello, James,” Severus said.

 

“Hello, Severus,” he replied, glancing at Harry and then Miri. “It’s…been a while.”

 

“Yes, quite. Perhaps you should join us. Anne does make the most wonderful pancakes.”

 

James stared at Harry for a moment and then let Sirius guide him to a chair. Remus and Sirius sat either side of him and accepted their own breakfasts from Anne.

 

“Now, what am I putting in your pancakes, Jamie?” she asked cheerfully, as if dead men sat at the breakfast table every day. Though, in their particular family, it wasn’t far off.

 

“Uh…just plain, thanks.”

 

She returned to her stove and Ron rolled his eyes.

 

“What’s everyone got planned for the day?” he prompted when conversation seemed less than likely to happen.

 

The chatter swelled around them as the day was discussed and Harry shot a grateful smile at his friend. Ron and Hermione were planning to take the twins for their first proper shoes. They had both started pulling themselves up and cruising along furniture, so independent walking couldn’t be far off. Harry asked them to pick up some new trainers for Miri on their way.

 

“Hold still, sweetheart,” Ron chuckled as he tried to trace Miri’s foot. She kept giggling and kicking as his pencil tickled her toes. He tried for a few more minutes before he sat back on his heels. “Nope, not happening. She’s too ticklish.”

 

“Umm,” James said timidly. “I have a suggestion.”

 

“We’re all ears,” Hermione said, hugging Joseph.

 

“Do you have any finger-paint?”

 

Dorian was happy to retrieve a bottle of bright blue paint and they watched interestedly as James stripped off Miri’s socks. He poured the paint into a paper plate and dunked her feet in it, Miri squealing at the coldness. Then he carefully pressed her feet to a piece of paper held against a chopping board.

 

“That’s brilliant,” Harry said, taking the paper. Severus fished out a few baby wipes and began to clean Miri’s feet, the little girl giggling the whole time.

 

“We did it with you,” he said softly and Harry stared at him. “What with the Charm, we couldn’t go out, so we did this with you so Remus could get your first shoes.”

 

“I loved those things,” Sirius said fondly.

 

“You would, they were Gryffindor red,” Remus countered. “Wouldn’t even consider anything else in the whole shop, had to be those ones.”

 

“Both his parents were Gryffindor’s and both his godfathers. He was never going to be anything else.”

 

“Actually, I was almost in Slytherin,” Harry said and grinned as their jaws dropped. Severus smiled at him. “The hat listened when I said I didn’t want to be there.”

 

“You can do that?” Anne asked.

 

“Yes. The hat takes into account what your wishes are, and I really didn’t want to be in Slytherin.”

 

“Thank heavens for small mercies,” Severus joked over his coffee. “I think you were sneaky enough without a whole house of encouragement.”

 

Remus groaned as the implications hit him. Harry had gotten into quite enough trouble in Gryffindor, thank you very much.

 

Severus startled as his timer went off in his pocket and he excused himself to the lab. He found he wasn’t really surprised by the timid knock.

 

“Enter.”

 

James poked his head around the door. “I can go if I’m bothering you.”

 

“Not at all,” he said, running his fingertips along a shelf of jars. “Cardamom, cardamom, cardamom. Ah. Cardamom. Do come in, I do not bite.”

 

“Really? Always thought you were a vampire.”

 

Severus smiled as James leant against the workbench Harry usually perched on.

 

“A fair assumption, but no. Just your everyday garden variety wizard.”

 

James watched him work for a while. Every now and then he would open his mouth as if to speak but never made a sound.

 

“You know, I did assume you came in here to talk,” Severus said after almost an hour.

 

“I did.”

 

“Then, perhaps, actual words might leave your mouth. Unlike my sister, I am not a mind reader as a general rule.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

Severus looked up from his measurements at the worried man. “Solarin? You met her at breakfast? The one with the tube.”

 

“I know who she is!” he snapped. “What do you mean she’s a mind reader?”

 

“I thought Sirius and Remus explained everything to you,” he said patiently. “Solarin is an Augur.”

 

“I got that bit.”

 

“I see. So you neglected to ask what that means precisely.”

 

“I’d just found out my son was alive, forgive me for missing a few things!”

 

Severus sighed and rounded the bench in the centre of the room to lean against it, arms folded.

 

“Solarin is an Augur. It means she is a natural Legilimens, as well as sensing emotions and mood, and being somewhat overpowered. She can also see the future, though that one is a latent gift she rarely ever uses.”

 

“And…you’re not?”

 

“No. Augurs are always female. I am not an Augur. However, Miri is. She’s very young, so she’s still not quite adept with it all, but she is a very powerful and special little witch.”

 

“Holy shit,” James moaned, dropping his chin onto his chest as he clung to the bench behind him.

 

Severus didn’t reach out to comfort him. The pain of what they’d done to each other in school was still a lingering ache that prevented him from making the first move. He’d try, for Harry’s sake if nothing else, but he wasn’t going to be overly accommodating.

 

“I thought she was just a little girl,” he said softly. “A little witch. I had no idea…”

 

“Most people don’t.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Positive. She’ll show you if you stay near her long enough. She and Solarin have their own way of playing. It’s rather pretty when they get into it.”

 

James looked up at him sharply.

 

“And I wonder how parents feel about you having sex with your students.”

 

“Ah, there it is, the famous James Potter assumptions,” he hissed. It hadn’t been even slightly connected to the topic of conversation. “I knew you wouldn’t, no, couldn’t hold out for long. For your information, it was Harry that pursued me.”

 

“He was a child.”

 

“He hasn’t been a child since Lily died,” he spat and James flinched as if he’d hit him. Severus returned to his work. It was always easier to talk when his hands were busy. “Petunia, Albus, Lucius, Voldemort. Pick one. Whichever one you choose, you can blame them for the death of his innocence.” He glanced at him. “Or perhaps yourself.”

 

“How dare you! I love my son!”

 

“Clearly not enough or you would have told someone what he is. As it is, Lucius found out first, and none of us could protect him from that, because not one of us knew!”

 

“I was protecting him!”

 

“Really? Because it seems to me you were being an insufferable know it all, and Harry paid for it.”

 

They both looked at the door as it opened, revealing Solarin and Remus.

 

“I knew it,” Remus sighed. “A single morning, not even that.”

 

“Three and a half hours,” Solarin supplied, glancing at her watch.

 

“Damn it. I owe Siri ten Galleons, I’ll have you know. You couldn’t even go a single day?”

 

“Apparently not,” Severus drawled. “Who had the longest bet?”

 

“Hermione. She said a week.”

 

“What an optimist.”

 

“You can’t tell me you’re happy about this,” James ground out. “He went to school with us, Remus. He’s our age.”

 

“And after all Harry has been through, show me an eighteen-year-old that could give him what he needs, love him as he is. At eighteen we were fighting in a war. Harry ended that war at fifteen. James, he has been through so much, more than you can even begin to believe. Severus is his choice. And I do believe that it was you that demanded we honour Harry’s choices.”

 

James gaped at him and Solarin bit her lip so she didn’t smile. She crossed to the workbench and began to help her brother, adding some mandrake to a potion that needed it.

 

“So you condone a paedophile targeting my son?”

 

“No, I condone a loving consensual relationship between a man who put his life on the line multiple times, and a young man who has literally died to save us all.” He sighed. “James, this is not your choice. It is between Harry and Severus. Please. Give it a little time, see for yourself. They love each other, they are married with a beautiful little girl. Please? Just wait and see?”

 

“For the record, I don’t like this.”

 

“For the record, it is noted,” Severus said. “But, as I said to Sirius the morning of my wedding. I love him, I claimed him, I am not using him and I WILL NOT BACK DOWN. I will not give him up, not if he still wants me, and I won’t let anyone take him from me.”

 

James growled and opened his mouth to speak but Sirius’ voice from the door stopped him.

 

“Don’t force him to choose, Prongs,” the Animagus said gently. “Please. You force him to choose and you won’t win. You force him to pick you or Severus and he’ll always pick Severus. Trust me, you don’t want that. This is Harry’s life, this is the way he wants to live. Don’t dismiss it.”

 

James looked around at the three men, gauging their expressions. He sighed. Even if he couldn’t get a full read on Severus, he knew Sirius and Remus and he could see how serious they were. Then he looked at Solarin.

 

“What, you not going to try and convince me too?”

 

“Should I?” she posed with an arched brow. “What would be the point? You’re a Potter. You lot only come in stubborn, stubborn and…stubborn.” He smiled despite himself. “You’re going to do exactly what I expect, which is make up your own damn mind. I’m only here to see if it dissolves into fisticuffs.”

 

“And what, pray tell, would you do if it did?” Severus said with a chuckle.

 

“Well, personally, I think it might be an even fight. You’ve got the duelling skills, but I don’t know, James has some good biceps. Could be a good match.”

 

“I’ll take that bet,” Sirius said. “Five Galleons on James.”

 

“Five on Severus,” Remus said.

 

The two men in question shared a look of long suffering.

 

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Midea knelt before the dais and bowed her head, staying silent as she was blessed by the High Priestess.

 

This was an honour, the highest honour, an honour that hadn’t been given in over a thousand years.

 

But she still feared it.

 

The High Midian and the High Priestess were obvious choices to go, but only one apprentice had been chosen from almost a hundred. Midea was chosen for her devotion, for her following of the Order and her faith. That, and she’d been the one to witness the Blooming.

 

But it still meant leaving her mother and sisters, and she never had before. To leave the city…no one had willingly left. Ever. Only those who had committed crimes so serious that they were banished.

 

What if they became lost? What if they couldn’t return? What if they were wrong?

 

She tilted her head back and accepted the offering of blood from the High Priestess’ wrist. Just a few drops, just enough for the ritual to take hold, so that they would all three be tethered to each other. Even if they couldn’t return, they would have each other.

 

If they couldn’t return, if the Fates were cruel, or the Blessed Ones dismissed them, they wouldn’t be alone.

 

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It took Ron two days to lose his temper with James.

 

The older wizard had been hovering again, standing at the edge of a room and watching the way they moved, how they talked and interacted with one another, working out the dynamics of the group.

 

It was driving everyone up the wall, including Harry, who was the one James watched the most. Whatever Harry did, James watched. When he fed Miri, or played with her, or told her a story, or just hugged her. When he helped with dinner, when he did the washing up. He even watched him eat.

 

On Friday morning, Ron waited until Harry had disappeared to the playroom with Miri, the one room James didn’t enter. Then he crossed the room and got in James’ face.

 

“Just what is your problem?” he spat.

 

“Ron,” Arthur warned from where he was pulling on his boots.

 

“No, I really want to know. You keep watching him, everything he does, every move he makes. And Harry might be too nervous about you to call you on it but I have no such problems. So I want to know, what is it you want?”

 

“He’s my son,” James said tartly.

 

“You keep saying that, but you don’t do anything!” he snapped, backing away and pacing. “You don’t talk to him, you don’t interact with him, you don’t even ask him about Miri. You’re not going to learn anything about him by standing there like a lemon.”

 

“What’s your suggestion then?”

 

“Have a freaking conversation with him!”

 

“And how do I even start?! Oh, sorry I got your mother killed, Harry, but have you read any good books lately?”

 

Ron growled and grabbed James by the wrist, yanking him along out of the room and up the stairs. Harry looked up, startled, from his careful marking of a pattern onto fabric when they entered.

 

“What’s going on?” he asked timidly. “Ron?”

 

“Look,” the redhead said, shoving James into the room. “This is what Harry does when he has the time. He makes things. And he does it in here so he can spend time with Miri. He makes amazing toys. There. Now have a fucking conversation.”

 

With that he turned on his heel and left them to it, leaving a stunned James in the doorway.

 

“I was wondering how long it would take him to pop,” Harry said conversationally, bending over his fabric again. “Took longer than I thought it would to be honest.”

 

He looked up at James with a small smile.

 

“I don’t generally bite. You can talk to me, you know. I’m not going to rip your head off.”

 

James stared at him for a while before he crossed to the sofa and took a seat.

 

“So…”

 

“So?”

 

“Severus.”

 

“What about him?”

 

“I’m not happy about you and him.”

 

“It’s not your decision,” Harry said simply. “I love him, and he loves me. It’s as simple as that.”

 

“I know you think that-”

 

“Stop it,” Harry snapped. “Just…stop. I know it wasn’t your fault or choice, but you haven’t been here. You didn’t see what happened, you don’t understand the situations. Me and Severus are happy together, I’m happy with him. I know you have a history with him, but that is not my history, it’s yours. And I am well aware that there’s an age gap between us, but I really don’t care. As for what he did in the past, that is his business, not yours.” He sighed. “I want you here, I want you in my life, but if this is going to be a problem for you then this isn’t going to work.”

 

James stared at him, wondering when his little boy had become a man. And he’d missed it. When Lily was pregnant, he’d spent so much time wondering who their child would be. When he was little, he’d been a happy mischievous little boy. Over the years, he’d imagined who Harry might have been. He’d imagined teaching him to fly, taking him to Diagon Alley for his wand, taking him for his first train ride to Hogwarts. He’d wondered who Harry would have been if he grew up.

 

And he had. All the time James had spent mourning him, Harry had been right there, growing up without him.

 

“Who taught you to fly?” he asked and Harry’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

 

“No one. I taught myself.”

 

“How about tying your shoes?”

 

“I copied other people,” he admitted. “I watched Petunia teach Dudley and took it from there.”

 

James scrubbed at his face. “What about shaving? Who taught you to shave?”

 

“I don’t shave.”

 

“What?”

 

“I don’t shave, I don’t grow a beard. I don’t grow body hair at all.”

 

“Nothing?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Oh. I didn’t know that.”

 

“Not many people do. People see what they want to see. I come across as a boy, so that’s what they see me as. Even now, now people know what I am, they still see a boy.”

 

“I’m sorry,” he said gently. “We should have told someone. You should have had someone there for you, someone who knew what was going on.”

 

“I did have someone. I had Ron. Okay, so he didn’t really have a full understanding of what was up with me, but he still helped me.”

 

He smiled at him and glanced at the door, as if the redhead would appear at the mention of his name. “No wonder he’s so protective.”

 

“No, that’s just him. He’s protective of everyone he cares about.”

 

“Sounds like you managed to find some good friends.”

 

“Yeah. Ron and Hermione are great. Honestly, I don’t know where I’d be without them.”

 

“I’m glad you found people.” He looked over at Miri, who was happily reading a book. “Is she actually reading that? Or is it just the pictures?”

 

“No, she’s reading. She’s ahead of everything because of what she is.”

 

“Must be difficult, raising a child with her…abilities.”

 

“Sometimes, but I wouldn’t change her. She wouldn’t be her without them.”

 

She looked up at them and giggled, before scampering across the room to Harry. He settled her on his lap and pressed a kiss to her curls, smoothing them back off her face and into her clip.

 

“Hi,” she said, waving at James.

 

“Hello.”

 

“Caya?”

 

“Mmmm?” he hummed, toying with her curls.

 

“Me has a lolly?”

 

“What do you say?”

 

“Please.”

 

“Okay. Do you want me to come or are you going by yourself?”

 

“Caya come.”

 

He stood and perched her on his hip. “Do you want an ice lolly?”

 

James followed Harry to the kitchen, where he retrieved the box of lollies, and then out to the garden. They were soon set upon by various small and larger members of the family, all claiming a frozen treat, and James realised that he’d have to be quick to have a chance of a flavour he wanted.

 

It didn’t work, and he ended up with a lime one.

 

He and Harry settled on the bench as Miri happily climbed onto a swing to eat her treat.

 

“She doesn’t call you mum,” James commented.

 

“No, she calls me Caya. It’s short for Carrier. I still think of myself as male, but her calling me and Severus both Daddy would get confusing. Carrier just felt right.”

 

“I just can’t quite get my head around being a grandfather. Even worse is trying to get my head around Snape being a father. I mean I see him with her, I know he is, but my brain just won’t make it make sense.”

 

“He’s a good dad. He says I’m a better parent than him but I don’t agree. I think he’s better.”

 

James took a deep breath before he spoke. “I just need to know something, and it’s probably not the thing to ask. But I need to know.”

 

“Ask it.”

 

“Do you ever regret having her? You’re so young, and how she was conceived…do you ever wish you’d chosen a different path?”

 

Harry watched his daughter as he considered it. Would he have things different? She was his world, his everything. He tried to imagine his life without her and literally couldn’t do it.

 

“No, never. I’ve worried about it, if I’m the right parent for her, if I was ready to be a parent, but no, I’ve never regretted my choice. This…this is my life. I live it the way I want to. I mean, I would like it if she’d been made differently, if I’d had that choice. But she wouldn’t be her if she was Severus’ by blood. And I wouldn’t have her any other way.”

 

“But being so young…don’t you worry about missing out on things? You could be anything, do anything. Be an Auror or a teacher or anything.”

 

“But I don’t want to do those things. I have the choice,” Harry explained gently. “If I turned around tomorrow and said I wanted to go into Auror training, Severus would stay home with her, I could go off and do it. But I’m tired of dark wizards. I’m tired of fighting and I don’t see why someone else can’t do it. I was a child with the literal weight of the world on me. I think I earned the right to rest.”

 

“You did,” he agreed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

 

“I know. You just worry that I’ll miss things or regret things later on. I’m not missing anything I want to do. I want to be here, with her, making toys and crafts and other pretty things. I want to be her Carrier, and Severus’ husband, and that’s all I want.”

 

James mulled it all over. It wasn’t what he and Lily had envisioned. They had seen a meteoric career, a wife, a couple of children. They had imagined a house and a life outside the home to keep Harry occupied. Perhaps a Quidditch star, if he was completely honest with himself. But his son had found a simple life and found total joy and contentment in it.

 

“I’ll try with Severus,” he said eventually and Harry looked at him in surprise. “He’s not my favourite person, I don’t think he’ll ever be. But I’ll try. Is that enough?”

 

Harry smiled at him and James felt the knot in his chest loosen.

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

How James managed not to laugh, he would still wonder until his dying day.

 

That particular Saturday, about a week after he had arrived at the house, he finished his coffee and headed out to the garden. He’d woken up late and was one of the last to have some breakfast. As a result, his bacon had been cold, but coffee was always good.

 

As he emerged into the sun-filled garden, he was greeted with the sight of Sirius in his dog form laying on a blanket, Romulus the puppy trying to attack his wagging tail. And Miri having the time of her life with her dress-up box. He particularly liked the pink rhinestone tiara.

 

“Looking fabulous there, Pads,” he said, sitting with them.

 

“Pretty!” Miri said excitedly.

 

“It’s her favourite game,” Remus said with a smile, looking up from his book.

 

“I can see why,” he grinned as Sirius panted at him, as if to say he knew just how amazing he looked and James was just jealous. “Remus, just what is that book? I’ve never known you take so long on a single book before, not even that mammoth Bane assigned us in seventh year.”

 

“It’s a…well, we’re not quite sure yet. It’s part diary, part instruction manual, part crazy ramblings.”

 

“It’s about Augurs,” Solarin said from where she was playing with Harry’s dragon set with Dorian. “It’s passed down from Augur to Augur, except no one can actually read it. Remus and Hermione are translating it for me.”

 

“What do you think might be in it?” James asked.

 

“Hopefully, some kind of guidance for Augurs and their abilities,” Severus said, looking up from his own scribblings in a journal. “It would be a tremendous help if we had some kind of indication of what we’re looking at.”

 

“There must be some of that already out there.”

 

“There’s not,” he said bluntly. “Even Magnus can’t find anything, and he’s older than most. Seven hundred years and he’d never met an Augur before Sol. If there’s something in that book that can help, can give some indication of what the future might hold, we need to know it.”

 

James let himself watch Miri as he pondered the implications of what was being said. He’d taken some time to talk to Sirius and Remus and Anne, getting them to fill him in more thoroughly on who and what exactly Harry considered family. He knew about Solarin now, knew how unique she was and how they were using her as a model of what to do, and not to do, with Miri.

 

Witches made of pure magic. It seemed impossible. But he’d seen it, watched them play their little games and practice their magics. He’d never seen anything like it. It was beautiful, mesmerising.

 

But Solarin was incredibly sick, and if they weren’t careful that would happen to Miri.

 

“How long since you played Bambi?” Remus asked and James snorted.

 

“Not since before. Why?”

 

“Don’t you want to?”

 

“I don’t think I’d even remember how.”

 

He jumped as a tiny Pomeranian puppy jumped on his shoes. It was absolutely adorable, and he wondered where the little fluff ball had been hiding. Probably wherever Potter the cat had been hiding.

 

“Hi there,” he said, scooping it up and stroking it under the chin. “Aren’t you a cutie pie? What’s your name then?”

 

He got the strangest feeling that everyone was laughing at him as Sirius began to huff. Was he actually laughing as a dog?

 

“What did I miss?”

 

“Put him down and you’ll see,” Remus said with a smirk and James did as he was told.

 

The little black cloud toddled away and pounced on Sirius’ front paws, licking at Miri’s little fingers as she wound beads around them, and then tottered off to where Severus was.

 

“You’re cheating,” he said, smiling down at it.

 

The puppy reared back and Severus scooped it up, nuzzling their noses together and letting the tiny thing lick his face before he put it back down. It sneezed and then James watched slack-jawed as the tiny puppy transformed into his son.

 

Harry was grinning at him, leaning back against Severus who pressed a kiss to his hair.

 

“How…what…how…now that’s just not fair!” James spluttered and Harry blinked in surprise. “What have you been teaching my son, Sirius!”

 

The black dog barked in insult and Harry looked crushed.

 

“He’s a dog, you mutt! If my son is going to be an Animagus, he should be a bloody deer!”

 

“You don’t get to choose the form,” Solarin said, half laughing. “Believe me, there is no choice in what you become.”

 

“You would know,” Severus said.

 

“Yes, I would.”

 

“You don’t like it?” Harry asked softly.

 

“Oh shit,” James moaned.

 

“Bad word!” Miri shrieked.

 

“Five sickles in the swear jar,” Dorian said.

 

James buried his head in his hands and scrubbed at his eyes before he looked at Harry.

 

“No, there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s adorable. I just always assumed that if you’d ever become an Animagus then you’d be a deer or maybe a horse. Something along those lines. I just wasn’t expecting a canine form.”

 

“Oh. So…you’re not really mad about it?” Harry asked.

 

“Of course not. I was just…hoping for something else.”

 

“So was I. I was hoping for something a little bigger, less fluffy.”

 

“Miri likes it,” Ron said.

 

“She’s a year old, she likes anything fluffy and cute.”

 

“I like it.”

 

Harry stuck his tongue out at him and changed back into a puppy, tottering off to where Sirius was lounging. The older Animagus nudged at him with his nose, making him fall over. He yipped in objection and scrambled to his feet, launching himself in a pounce at Sirius’ flank. He was too tiny to climb up and just managed to bounce off his ribs. He launched into a long string of yaps and yips that had Solarin and Miri laughing.

 

“Do I want to know what he’s calling my husband?” Remus asked.

 

“Along the lines of ‘hold still, you big mountain!’ and ‘I am small and mighty!’ He’s in a funky mood,” Solarin translated and Harry yipped in agreement.

 

James watched as Harry took off across the garden, chasing a butterfly and stalking a bee, then attempting to eat a dandelion puff before spitting it out and sneezing at it. He happily made himself at home exploring the weeds, weaving in and out of them before disappearing inside, faint rustles giving away where he was.

 

“He’s enjoying it,” Sirius said as he changed back. Miri didn’t even blink, just kept on plastering him with toy jewellery. “He gets to play like a kid, which he never got to do.”

 

“Question,” Hermione said, helping Joseph hold his bottle of juice. “Can you understand him when you’re both in canine form?”

 

“Yes. It’s not full sentences, just the odd word or two, but I do hear him.”

 

“Huh. That wasn’t in the spellbooks.”

 

“What can you change into?” James asked Solarin.

 

“An owl. Black bird with flappy wings,” she said and Severus snorted.

 

“Should have been a snake,” he said. “She’d be much happier.”

 

“I so would. Who on earth wants to be that high off the ground without a floor?”

 

Anne appeared with a huge plate of muffins and set them on the blanket. Miri squealed and took the smaller one Anne held out to her, dutifully saying thank you before settling in Severus lap to eat.

 

“Harry! Do you want a muffin, poppet?” Anne called and smiled as a tiny black head poked out of the bushes.

 

He pelted across the grass and took a running jump into her lap, where she made a fuss of him, scratching behind his ears. It made his back leg jiggle. She set him on the blanket and he nosed at the muffin he wanted, which she set before him after peeling the paper case off. He yipped and licked her hand in thanks before beginning to nibble.

 

“Wouldn’t it be easier with thumbs, love?” Severus asked lightly, breaking off a piece of his own muffin and popping it into his mouth. Harry whined at him. “Alright, alright, I was only asking. No one is going to make you change back.”

 

James waited until Harry had finished his muffin and scampered off again before he asked.

 

“Why doesn’t he want to change back?”

 

“He likes the freedom the form gives him,” Severus explained. “Petunia didn’t allow him to have a real childhood, and he feels he is too old for many things, things he feels childish. The puppy form allows him to explore that side of himself without his perceived fear of reproof.”

 

“Huh.”

 

“You know, if you transformed, he’d play with you,” Sirius said, peeling the case from the muffin Miri handed to him.

 

“I don’t think I can. I don’t even have a wand anymore.”

 

Remus pulled his out and handed it over. James hesitated to take it.

 

“You have as much right to magic as the rest of us, Jamie,” Remus said gently. “You’re still a wizard, no matter what else has happened.”

 

“I gave it all up,” he murmured. “I walked away from it all. Seventeen years, Moony. What if…what if I can’t do it anymore? What if magic doesn’t want me?”

 

“What a load of rubbish,” Ginny scoffed. “Magic doesn’t discriminate. You’re a wizard, you can give it life and form. Why would magic not want that?”

 

Eventually, James accepted the baton and just held it for a while. It was so strange to be holding one again, to feel its weight and the potential thrumming in it. This one especially. So many times he’d been sleepy and reached out for a wand only to find Remus’ lying on the coffee table in the Common Room; they’d all fallen asleep in there more times than he could count. It had never been a perfect fit for him, but it had worked well enough.

 

He wiped away the tears burning his eyes and waved it, making one of Miri’s plastic necklaces float. It felt like coming home.

 

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It ended up being Bill that took James to Ollivander’s to get a replacement wand.

 

Remus and Sirius had both volunteered, but James hadn’t wanted them to go with him. He’d wanted to do it alone, but it wasn’t safe for him to do so. Without a wand he was defenceless, and they couldn’t afford for it to end badly.

 

James set out on Monday morning, confident that he was alone, without knowing that Bill was about half a street behind him.

 

James didn’t realise just what a state the Wizarding world was in until he walked into the Leaky Cauldron. Within minutes he was recognised and surrounded by people all wanting to know where he’d been and what had happened.

 

“Okay, folks, back it up,” Bill called. “Come on, give the man some room to breathe.”

 

They grumbled but did as they were told and James turned to him.

 

“I don’t need you to come with me,” he said, and he sounded like a petulant child even to his own ears.

 

“Really? Because it looked as if you needed me just then.”

 

“You’re as sarcastic as your wife.”

 

“Oh, not even close,” he laughed. “Look. I’m only here because Harry asked me to. He’s worried something will happen to you, and without a wand you can’t protect yourself. He’s had too many people leave or die or betray him, he can’t lose anyone else right now. I’m not here for you, I’m here for him, so suck it up and deal with it.”

 

“Harry worries too much.”

 

“Just a question. Just how were you planning on paying for this wand?”

 

“With my Gringotts account of course.”

 

“Except it’s not yours.”

 

“What?”

 

“You legally died. Which means Harry legally inherited everything come his eighteenth birthday, which was two weeks ago. The account is his.”

 

“But…that’s my money.”

 

“Not anymore. Legally, you have no claim to it. You willingly forfeited all claim to anything in the Potter name when you were declared dead. Dumbledore had you sign papers?”

 

“He said it was to allow me to disappear, but I still had my fortune!”

 

“No, you had the money he was skimming off the school accounts.”

 

“Oh shit.”

 

James had to sit down, and Bill guided him to the closest chair. He gently pushed his head down between his knees.

 

“I didn’t think,” James mumbled, clutching the glass of Firewhisky Bill had bought for him. “I just assumed the money was coming from my accounts. Every few months there would be money in a Muggle account, I just assumed he got it from my own finances.”

 

“Well, he didn’t.”

 

“So basically, I’m broke.”

 

“Not if you talk to Harry about it. Explain what’s been done. He’ll give you full access to the accounts, if you just talk to him.”

 

“I can’t do that,” he said with a grimace. “Ask my son for pocket money? I can’t do that.”

 

“It’s family money. Look, I know this is hard for you. I know that you had this great life with Lily and a baby and all that, and now it’s gone. But that has nothing to do with Harry. Stop looking backwards, stop focussing on what you used to have. This, here, right now, this is what you should focus on.”

 

“Even though Harry is married to a man I used to go to school with.”

 

“And torment? Yes, even though. Severus…Severus isn’t so bad. Yes, he’s short tempered and strict and can be a right bastard sometimes. Let’s not even talk about what he’s like before he’s had his coffee in the morning. But he is a good man. And he loves your son.”

 

“I know. It’s just…”

 

“I get it. Do you really think it was the happiest moment of my life when I found out just who Solarin’s big brother was? The guy used to make me disembowel toads in detention. But you weren’t so great back then either. If you can change, why not him?”

 

“Because…he’s Snape!” he said in disgust. “He’s…he’s just Snape!”

 

“Potter-Snape. He took Harry’s name when they married.”

 

“Oh Dios,” he groaned.

 

He knocked back the last of his drink.

 

“So how do you handle it? How do you put aside what happened and move forwards?”

 

“Time. Sorry to say that time is the only thing that will help. Stop looking at him as he was and try to see him as he is.”

 

“Severus? Or Harry?”

 

“Both.”

 

James sighed and scrubbed at his face.

 

“Let’s go do this wand,” Bill said. “Harry gave me some money to do it, once Severus pointed the situation out to him.”

 

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Harry followed Solarin into the store and gaped at the sheer craftmanship he was surrounded by.

 

The toy shop was filled with handmade items. Hand sewn dolls and teddies, carved trains and trucks, painted board games, hand drawn books. There were rattles and pull-a-longs, mobiles and plushies, skittles, dress up clothes, fairytale castles and pirate ships.

 

He ran his fingers over a hobbyhorse, marvelling in the skill it had taken.

 

“Well, as I live and breathe. Look what the cat dragged in.”

 

“Sophie. Good to see you,” Solarin said and Harry looked over to the counter.

 

The speaker was a woman, American accent, about Severus’ age, red hair, bright eyes and heavily pregnant.

 

“Sit down, woman, before you pop,” Sol joked and Sophie laughed at her.

 

“I’m fine, you sound like Nate.” The two women hugged and Harry let them have their catch up while he examined the beautiful dolls house displayed in the middle of the room. There were even little bottles of milk on the front steps.

 

“Harry? Ah, there you are. Come meet Sophie.” Harry made his way over and tucked himself into Solarin’s side. “Sophie, this is Harry, my brother-in-law. Harry, this is Sophie Norman, long time friend.”

 

“Hi.”

 

“Hi there. Nice to meet you,” Sophie said with a smile, shaking his hand. “Sol says you made some toys?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, hefting up his bag. “My dad thinks maybe I can sell them, but I don’t know. Looking at all this? I really don’t think they’re up to the standard.”

 

“Well, let’s take a look.”

 

She opened the bag and began to pull out the ten dolls he’d brought with him. They were all different, all individual. There were five in a rainbow of human type skin colours, ranging from Solarin-pale to Kingsley-dark. Then there were five in more outrageous ones. Pink, blue, green, orange and purple. He’d picked the hair carefully, to make sure it went with the skin he’d used, and each one had hand sewn eyes. Each one was dressed, half in smocks and leggings, half in shirts and dungarees, and each with little moccasins.

 

“Oh, these are adorable!” Sophie squealed. “Look at them!”

 

“You like?” Sol asked, tickling the back of Harry’s neck.

 

“I love these. Jesus, look at the stitching. You made all of these?”

 

“Yeah. I like crafting, and my little girl…well, she likes to play with the things I make. My dad saw the one I made for her and he said I could make more, and maybe sell them. And Sol said she knew you and you might sell them here.”

 

“Sol was right. Honestly, my customers will love these. How long does each one of these take?”

 

“About ten hours, roughly.”

 

“And the cost of materials to make them?”

 

“I don’t know, I buy in bulk.” He did some quick maths in his head. “Somewhere around fifteen, maybe twenty per doll.”

 

“The stuffing?”

 

“Wool, and the fabric is cotton for the bodies. I use felt mostly for the clothes, and the stitching detail is cotton embroidery floss.”

 

She was busy writing it all down, adding numbers to it.

 

“All natural materials, handmade. About ten hours of work for each doll, and they’re a really good huggable size. I’d say the mark-up on these is somewhere around…£120 to £130.”

 

Harry felt his jaw drop.

 

“That much? For a doll?”

 

“People pay for handmade,” she said with a smile. “Believe me, I know how you feel, but this part of London? Total macaroni moms. They’ll pay through the nose for things they think are better than others.”

 

“Macaroni mums?”

 

“Parents that feed their children only organic and question vaccines,” Solarin said, stroking the hair of the doll that had her skin colouring. He’d modelled it after her, with black stitched eyes and all black clothes. “You know, the annoying ones that think they’re better than us mere mortals, and their children are angels who can do no wrong.”

 

“A whole load of Aunt Petunia’s then.”

 

“Precisely.”

 

“How many do you think you could provide a month?” Sophie asked.

 

“A dozen, maybe more,” Harry said.

 

“That’s good, exclusivity makes them more desirable. How about this? I’ll take these ones today and sell them, you come back in a month. I’ll take a…oh, about a thirty percent commission, for stocking them, which puts the profit for you at…£91 if we charge £130 and £84 if we sell at £120. Sound fair?”

 

Harry had no clue if it was fair or not, he’d never dealt with anything like it. He looked to Solarin.

 

“I trust Sophie, she’s honest. If those are the figures she’s set out, then those are fair. You can trust her with this, she won’t do you wrong.”

 

“Okay, if you say I can trust all those numbers, then that’s what we’ll do.”

 

“Brilliant. Now, what label are we putting on these? Your name?”

 

“Can we call them Miri Dolls?”

 

“Now that is adorable. That’ll sell. Where’s it from?” she asked as she wrote it down.

 

“My daughter’s name is Miri.”

 

“That’s so sweet. Maybe next month you could bring her in, so she can see her dolls on display.”

 

“I think she’d like that.”

 

“Okay, I think we’re all set. I’ll sell these, see how they do, and I’ll see you in a month and we can talk about a longer run and adjustments and how well they sold and all that.”

 

“Thank you,” he said, shaking her hand, before he and Sol said their goodbyes and left Sophie to it.

 

The two of them wandered down the street, stopping now and then to look at a shop display, before eventually making their way to a café and ordering hot chocolates. Harry added a big gooey donut to his order and they took a seat. Harry always found it easy to spend time with Sol. She never pushed him to talk about things he wasn’t ready to talk about, nor did she let him verbally abuse himself. It was easy just to be when he was around her.

 

“We should pick up some milk on the way home,” Harry said as Sol worked on the crossword in the paper they were both chipping away at.

 

“Maybe two. We keep going through it. Country on your side, four letters?”

 

“Ally.”

 

“Now, why didn’t I see that one,” she complained as she filled it in, and then a shadow fell across their table.

 

It was a middle aged woman staring at Sol with absolute disgust.

 

“Can we help you?” Sol asked.

 

“Yes. You should be ashamed of yourself!” she spat. “People like you shouldn’t be out in public, flaunting your…perversions!”

 

“I’m sorry, but I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

 

“It’s bad enough that you’re using medical equipment to do it, but to flaunt it in public!”

 

Harry shrank back in his seat as Solarin stood up and got right into the woman’s personal space. He refused to get into this, he knew what was coming and absolutely refused to get in Solarin’s way.

 

“One. What I do or don’t do is none of your business, I don’t know you, lady, don’t think you have a right to pass any kind of judgement on me or ANYONE for that matter. Two. I’m not, as you assume, anorexic or bulimic, I don’t have an eating disorder. And three, seeing as you seem hell bent on knowing the personal medical business of a complete stranger, my stomach is paralysed, I use the tube to eat because without it I starve. Now, is there anything else you’d like to know about a complete stranger and her very private personal medical issues?”

 

“It’s still disgusting to see it in public,” she muttered, obviously embarrassed now she realised the entire room was silently watching the interaction.

 

“So is your blatant meddling and lack of personal boundaries, but you obviously think we should be subjected to those.”

 

The woman’s mouth worked silently for a moment, before she huffed and turned on her heel, striding off to her table, where she gathered her things and her son and stormed out. Solarin sat down and sipped at her hot chocolate.

 

“So,” she said, “milk?”

 

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Harry moaned in his sleep as Severus sat up.

 

The older man leaned in and nuzzled into his neck.

 

“Everything’s alright, love,” he murmured between kisses. “I just need the loo.”

 

Harry let out a satisfied sleepy squeak and settled back into the bedding.

 

Severus shuffled to the bathroom and did what he had to before sticking his head into Miri’s room, where she was sleepily sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

 

“What are you doing awake, little miss?” he asked gently, perching on the edge of her bed.

 

“Need a potty,” she mumbled.

 

“Alright, sweetheart, come on.”

 

He took her hand and led her to the bathroom, where he helped her stay upright on the toilet.

 

“Maybe we should get you a potty of your own,” he mused. “So you don’t have to have me or Carrier help you.”

 

“Miri potty.”

 

“Yes, Miri’s potty.”

 

“Daddy, all done.”

 

He tore off some paper for her. “Front to back, baby.”

 

“I member,” she said as she wiped, then he set her on her feet and pulled up her night-time nappy. She’d only been in training nappies for a few days, but she hadn’t had any accidents. Anne had advised them to keep her in them for a week or two and then transition to knickers, with the night-time ones in play for a while longer, just in case. He hoisted her up to flush, and then held her at the sink to wash her hands. As she was drying them, he perched her on his hip.

 

“Are you ready to go back to sleep now?”

 

“Need a water,” she said, snuggling into him. “A water then a sleep.”

 

“Okay, poppet. Let’s go get you some water.”

 

He stroked her hair as she sucked her thumb, carrying her downstairs (after a quick peek into his room to check on her carrier). He shuffled into the kitchen and stopped short.

 

“James.”

 

“Oh. Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake anyone.”

 

“You didn’t. Me and this little one both needed the loo, and now she wants water.”

 

“A water and a sleepy,” she muttered around her thumb.

 

He crossed to the fridge and pulled out the jug of water before crossing to the counter and letting Miri point at the Sippy cup she wanted. He poured it out and screwed on the top before giving it to her and then returning the jug to its place. Then he sat down at the table with her settled on his lap. She sleepily snuggled into him as she drank, twiddling her curls with her free hand.

 

“Oh. It’s a party,” Bill said from the door.

 

“Hardly,” Severus said with a small smile. “At a party there’s generally more people. Is…is she alright?”

 

“She? Oh! No, she’s fine. I came to heat a bottle for Dav.”

 

The redhead busied himself with mixing the formula and heating it with a spell.

 

“You want me to put little miss back to bed?” he asked when he was ready to head back upstairs.

 

“If you would,” Severus agreed, holding her up to him. “Just put her back in bed, she should settle straight off.”

 

“A sleepy,” Miri slurred, clutching her cup.

 

Bill pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Come on, baby girl. Let’s go back to bed while these two talk.”

 

She waved at them as Bill carried her out and Severus watched her go before looking at James.

 

Severus sighed and retrieved the scotch. He didn’t bother with the cheap stuff Sirius liked to chug by the bottleful when he was down, he headed straight for the top shelf stuff. He grabbed two glasses and retook his seat before pouring out two measures and passing one to James.

 

“Thanks,” the Gryffindor said, taking a sip. “Who did you think he was coming down for?”

 

“Solarin. Her health can change in a matter of moments.”

 

“What actually is wrong with her? I know her stomach and all that, but why is she like that?”

 

“Because our father hated magic,” Severus said simply. “He used to punish Sol for using it, and she tried to repress it as a result. The repressed magic has become trapped within her. It’s a ball of fear and anger which lashes out every now and then. First, it crushed some of her organs and she needed a hysterectomy for it or she would have bled to death. Now this. We don’t know what’s coming next.”

 

“Is there a way to fix it?”

 

“There is, but it carries risks. We need a way for her to drain off enough of her magic for the old magic to be purged, but there lies the danger. A being like Sol cannot live without her magic, it would kill her. Don’t drain enough and it’s pointless, drain too much and she will die. You see the dilemma.”

 

“Holy shit,” he murmured. “Is there a chance that it could happen to Miri?”

 

“If handled badly, yes, but Harry and I are hardly likely to let that happen. Truly, Miri is in a far better place than Solarin was as a child.”

 

James seemed to be gathering his courage and Severus waited for what was coming.

 

“Lily…she always said you were better than I knew. She said that there were things I didn’t know. Can I…can I ask you about them?”

 

“You may. Which part would you like to know? Before Hogwarts? During? Or after?”

 

“Start with before.”

 

Severus drained his glass and poured out another one before he spoke.

 

“My father was a muggle, who hated magic. He was rather…vocal about his hatred. And physical. Solarin and I had an older sister, Serena. She wasn’t magical, and our father adored her. She was killed in a car accident. Our father always blamed us for not being like her, for not being free of magic. Our mother…was a complicated woman. She loved us, truly. But she was also afraid.”

 

“Afraid?”

 

“Of our father, of what Solarin was. Her sister was an Augur and she’d seen the potential destruction a being like that can cause. She feared what Solarin might become. We didn’t find out until much later that our mother died because she was trying to kill Solarin. Tobias was trying to protect her, in his way. He stabbed her with a broken bottle. I always assumed it was another one of their fights that got out of hand.”

 

“So…are they dangerous? Augurs? Was your mother right?”

 

“No. Any wizard or witch with a wand and ill intentions is dangerous. But it’s not the power that makes them dangerous, it’s the choices they make. Solarin is not a malicious person, not by nature. She has done things, yes, this is true, and that is not my tale to tell, it is hers. But she has never intended to hurt anyone.”

 

“She’s a complicated witch, that one.”

 

Severus chuckled. “That may be the wisest thing you’ve ever said.”

 

“I was bound to say something wise sooner or later. What about when we were in school? I know I didn’t make things easy for you.”

 

“No, you didn’t. But your actions were the least of my problems. Solarin was born when I was in my early years at Hogwarts, around the time I began to withdraw from being Remus’ friend. She was so small, so helpless. And then so powerful, and woefully unable to defend herself against our father.” He snorted humourlessly to himself. “If I’m being honest, she’s always been more my child than anyone else’s. I spent my holidays and summers caring for her, protecting her, trying to give her whatever happy moment I could. It was only a few days after my graduation that our mother died, and then she truly was mine in all the ways that mattered.”

 

“How…”

 

“How did I become a Death Eater?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“It is rather a simple path. I became indebted to that man for Solarin. I needed her to be safe, even if I wasn’t. I became his…slave on the condition he left her alone until she came of age. I became Albus’ spy on the same condition. I served both so she would remain untouched.”

 

“Did you know what you were getting into?”

 

“In a way I did,” he mused, swirling his drink. “I understood the sacrifices I was making, I understood that none of it would be easy or pleasant. But…no, I don’t think I really did. Not until the first time he bent me over a table. I didn’t understand until then just what I was in for.” He smiled slightly at James’ shock. “Oh, did you not know that? Sorry. I thought you did. I was sure all the members of the Order were aware of what my ‘services’ entailed.”

 

“No, I didn’t know. I always wanted to know about the Prophesy.”

 

“Ah, yes. Of course. What do you wish me to tell you? Would you like to hear of the hours he spent peeling away layer after layer of my mind? The days I spent in his company, enjoying his…hospitality? Or perhaps you wish to know of the months my hands shook afterwards?”

 

James didn’t speak and Severus almost regretted his words, but regretting them wouldn’t take them back, nor would they make them untrue, so he didn’t offer comfort. Instead he waited for James to say what he wanted to.

 

“I’ve spent a long time being bitter about that night,” James admitted. “Thinking about what happened, focussing on what I lost.”

 

“Oh, give me a break,” Severus snapped, slamming down his glass. “All I hear is what you lost, what happened to you. Still the same selfish prick. Sirius lost his freedom because of that night. Remus lost his mate and his pack. And Harry lost everything! He lost his childhood that night! Do you have any comprehension what it was like for the rest of us? Do you have the slightest inkling of what anyone else suffered? No, it’s all about you, just like it always has been.”

 

Severus threw himself to his feet and began to pace, the way Harry did when he was really angry.

 

“How dare you make this all about you?” he snarled. “Because you were afraid of the consequences of that night, Harry ended up in the so-called care of that fucking bitch and her bastard of a husband. Do you have any comprehension of what they put him through? Do you even begin to realise what it’s like growing up in a home where you’re hated? Because he was. For ten years they ground him down so he’d be so completely vulnerable and desperate for any kind of parental affection, and that’s how Albus got his claws into him! That son of a bitch sent in Molly Weasley to take advantage of a decade of neglect and abuse, so Harry could be manipulated to die when it was convenient for Albus. And it could have been prevented! YOU could have prevented it, but you were so self-involved that you did nothing! You ran away and hid!”

 

“I thought Remus would kill me!” James hissed. “And Albus told me Harry had died! How was I supposed to know!”

 

“And you never once wanted to visit your child’s grave? Or Lily’s grave? You didn’t want to lay flowers? Because I have to say, if it were me, if I had lost Sol or Miri, I’d be hard pressed to leave those graves.”

 

James couldn’t answer. Truthfully, there were no excuses or reasons good enough to excuse what he’d done. And Severus was right. All he had focussed on was what he’d lost, what had happened to him.

 

“Tell me what happened to Remus,” he said eventually, once Severus had sat back down and had another drink.

 

“He lost his pack,” Severus said bluntly. “In a single night, you and Lily were gone, Peter had betrayed him, Sirius was ripped from him, and no one would let him near Harry. Umbridge used his attempt to gain custody as a way to hit him with every anti-werewolf law there is. He lost his flat, had no money. If it weren’t for Anne, he would have been on the street. And because of that, because Sirius was taken from him, the bond between them was stretched so thin that Remus almost died.”

 

James was about to speak when Severus continued.

 

“As for Sirius, he spent twelve years wrongfully imprisoned in a place that ate away at his soul and sanity. His nightmares are particularly impressive, truly. He sometimes rivals Harry for the strength of his screams.”

 

“How many have you had?” Sirius asked quietly from the door.

 

“Not nearly enough,” Severus snapped before he froze and took a deep breath. “Four…no, five.”

 

“You’ve had enough. Severus, stop. I know you’re pissed at him, but this isn’t helping. Stop drinking, stop laying it all out on the table, and drink some water.”

 

Severus slammed his glass down and took a step towards him, before Sirius raised an eyebrow and he stopped. He took a deep breath and scratched at his scalp before he crossed to the fridge and pulled out the water jug. As Sirius had directed, he poured some out and gulped it down before he leaned against the counter.

 

“I won’t apologise,” he said. “Nothing I said was untrue.”

 

“No, it wasn’t,” Sirius agreed. “But maybe it didn’t need to be said.”

 

“Maybe it really did,” James said. “Maybe Severus is the only one with enough loathing of me to spill it all out. You didn’t tell me. What happened to you and Remus, all the details of that. Why didn’t you tell me what happened to you?”

 

“Because it doesn’t matter!” Sirius snapped. “It’s in the past, so why would we need to tell you?”

 

“I needed to know! I needed to hear what happened, I needed you to make it clear to me just how badly I fucked up. My son spent a decade in the hands of Petunia, and you didn’t think I needed to know what she and that arsehole husband did to him? Remus almost died and you didn’t think I needed to know that? Sirius, I was selfish, I was self-pitying. And because of that you all suffered. I needed to know those things.”

 

They all fell silent as Harry pushed past Sirius and stood looking between the three of them.

 

“You were a long time,” he said to Severus. “I woke up and you were gone.”

 

“I’m sorry, love,” he said, taking Harry’s hands. “I took Miri to the loo and then she wanted water, and then things…escalated.”

 

“I woke up alone.”

 

“I’m sorry,” he said again, pressing a kiss to his forehead, resting his lips against the scar. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry, love.”

 

Harry was still for a moment before he curled his fingers into Severus’ t-shirt and snuggled in. Severus cuddled him close, murmuring how sorry he was.

 

“Why were you so long?” Harry complained.

 

“James and I were…talking.”

 

“You were yelling at each other,” he corrected.

 

“Just a little, maybe.”

 

“Why? How can there be more things for you to yell at each other about?”

 

He stepped back and looked between his father and his husband, glancing at Sirius.

 

“Why can’t you just get along?” he asked sadly. “Sirius and you manage it. Why can’t you manage it with him?”

 

“I’m trying, Harry, I am, really,” he swore. “It’s just…difficult.”

 

“But why is it difficult?”

 

He sounded so sad, so heartbroken, that Severus felt incredibly guilty.

 

“Me and Severus have a lot of history,” James said.

 

“But so do he and Sirius and they manage to get along,” he argued. “This is stupid! And so are both of you! You keep raking up the past and getting mad about it and it doesn’t help anything! I’m sick of it! If…if this doesn’t stop then I’m not going to talk to either of you.”

 

“What?” Severus said, dumbfounded. Surely he couldn’t be serious?

 

“I mean it. Either this stops or I start ignoring both of you. And if it still carries on after that, I’m leaving, and taking Miri with me.”

 

“Harry, pup, calm down,” Sirius soothed, moving to stand behind him and rub gentle thumbs into his tense shoulders.

 

“No! I won’t calm down! This is so stupid and I can’t think of any other way to make it stop! So if it doesn’t stop, I’m going to take Miri and move into one of the properties I own. Either you two get along, or I leave, pick one.”

 

And with that, he strode from the room, past Remus who was lingering in the doorway. He’d heard the commotion and come to see what was happening. He’d managed to catch the end of it.

 

“You idiots,” he sighed after the distant slam of a door upstairs. “Could you not see what this was doing to him? No, not another word,” he said as James opened his mouth to speak. “Harry is right. Either you two make this work somehow or one of you will leave. I won’t have my son move out because of two fools. And yes, James, he is MY son, by law and by love. He refers to me and Sirius as his parents so deal with it. Now, both of you sit down. Now.”

 

The two men sullenly retook their seats and Sirius set to making tea. Alcohol wouldn’t help anything.

 

Remus settled in his own chair and Sirius took the other end of the table.

 

“Right. We’re going to sit here until we get somewhere with this,” Remus stated. “And I really couldn’t give Merlin’s left bollock if it takes all night and all day. Bill will take them out for breakfast if it comes to it. One at a time. Severus. What is your issue, what keeps setting you off?”

 

“Him,” Severus spat.

 

“Yes, I gathered that. I was hoping for something a little more specific.”

 

“He keeps getting at me, keeps dredging up my past as if his is flawless. I know who and what I was, I am well aware of what I’ve done, but he acts as if I did any of it for my own enjoyment.”

 

“I can see why that would be a trigger,” Sirius muttered.

 

“Quite,” Remus agreed. “Now, James, your main trigger?”

 

James considered it before he spoke.

 

“I don’t like seeing him with Harry,” he admitted. “Every time he touches him, I want to hit him.”

 

“I see. Is it that he’s our age? Or is it that Harry is no longer a child?”

 

“What?”

 

“I’m serious. Is it purely that it’s Severus doing the touching? Or is it that anyone is touching him?”

 

“Don’t be stupid,” he muttered.

 

“Actually, I don’t think he is,” Sirius said, abandoning his tea for a glass of wine. He poured Remus one as well and lounged in his chair as the true child of wealth and privilege he was. “I think Remus has hit the nail on the head. You don’t like that Harry is a grown man with sexual desires and romantic needs. You don’t like that Harry is all grown up. You want the years you lost, don’t you?”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he scoffed. “I see Harry, I know he’s a grown up!”

 

“Do you?” Severus asked. “Do you really? You’ve lived with the idea of a toddler for almost twenty years. I would imagine that changing that thought process is rather tricky.”

 

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

 

“Stop it,” Remus growled. “I mean it, James. You’ll talk to us like an adult or this won’t do any good at all and we’re back at square one. Severus asked a simple question, nothing for you to get angry about. I want to know the answer to it. Do you really understand that the toddler you knew and cared for is no longer the young man you see now?”

 

James threw himself to his feet and began to pace, shooting them angry looks every now and then, before he sighed and leaned against the chimney, staring into the dying embers.

 

“Maybe,” he admitted. “I’m not saying yes. I’m saying maybe. Maybe I do have trouble with it.”

 

“Then maybe, if it might be true,” Sirius said, “maybe you could try forgetting he’s your son. You could just try to get to know him as a person without the shadow of that.”

 

“I don’t know how,” he muttered. “How do you forget that? He was my baby, I saw him into this world. I was the first face he saw, the first hands to hold him. How do I forget all that?”

 

“I shouldn’t have said forget,” Sirius agreed. “That was the wrong word. I meant that you should see him as a young man, as he is, rather than as he was. Get to know him now, learn to be his friend, and then put the two together.”

 

“I don’t know how to do that.”

 

“Start small,” Remus said. “Start by biting your tongue. Look upon Harry and Severus as you would Bill and Solarin, or Nixie and Charlie. Things are the way they are, look at them that way. Accept what you see and stop trying to change it.”

 

James mulled it over.

 

“I’ll try,” he eventually agreed. “I’m not saying I’ll be any good at it, I’m not saying I’ll manage to keep my tongue. But I will try.”

 

“I’ll take it,” Remus said with a relieved sigh. “I’ll remind you if you forget. Severus? If James tries will you?”

 

“Yes, if he tries,” he agreed. “But no more talk of what I did in my past. You understand, Remus, it is not only me I think of. Harry does not like to hear of it.”

 

“Which part?” James asked, and this time, instead of being accusatory, he sounded merely curious.

 

“The part where I was Voldemort’s ‘release’ of sorts.”

 

“I can see why he’d be upset,” Sirius agreed. “Thinking of someone you love getting hurt.”

 

“No, you misunderstand. True, he doesn’t like to think of anyone he cares about getting hurt. But he very much dislikes that anyone has touched me…like that. My little lion is a possessive sod when he gets down to it. He considers me to be his and only his.”

 

Sirius grinned and Remus shot him a look that said ‘shut up’.

 

“Oh,” James said. “I didn’t think of that.”

 

“Indeed.”

 

“I didn’t realise he was upset by it, I thought it was only you I was getting to. What else upsets him?”

 

Severus chuckled. “I do believe we may actually be here until dawn.”

 

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The next week passed calmly.

 

James and Severus had come to some sort of understanding that night, and though they may never actually make it to friendship, there was an understanding between them that their vitriol needed to stay under a tight lid.

 

The family spent most of their days in the garden, lounging on the huge blanket enjoying the sun. On days when the weather turned grey, they retreated into the living room with board games and other quiet activities.

 

On that Tuesday, after breakfast, they had headed into the garden to enjoy their newest acquisition.

 

A pool.

 

Severus had teased Sirius mercilessly, of course. All in good fun, but extensive, as their teasing of each other usually was. But eventually even he had agreed that it was probably a good investment. The summer was brutally hot without a break in sight. Four days without a sign of a cloud and they were all ready to do whatever it took to cool off.

 

Miri danced by the fence they had put up around the pool while she waited for her parents to get changed. She had refused to put on clothes, instead she insisted on wearing her swimsuit to breakfast.

 

“Are you excited, princess?” James asked as he squatted down beside her.

 

“Swimming!” she cried, bouncing. He chuckled and reached out to tickle her belly. “Need Caya first.”

 

“That’s right,” Solarin said, putting Daven on a blanket and pulling out the new swimming wings for Dorian.

 

James couldn’t help staring. Over the heatwave, he’d seen an awful lot of skin from every member of the pack. He’d gotten used to seeing Severus’ Dark Mark (which Miri delighted in attacking with felt tips), Remus and Sam’s claiming bites, even the few of Harry’s scars he’d seen. But he hadn’t seen Solarin in so little before. She usually stuck to a pair of shirts and one of Bill’s vests. James thought he understood how thin she was when she pulled up the vest to access her button.

 

He’s been woefully unprepared for what she looked like.

 

She was literally skin and bone, he could count her ribs, the notches of her spine. He’d never seen anyone living have hipbones that jutted out that far.

 

There were bruises absolutely everywhere, her arms and legs, her belly, her collarbones. There were old scars across her back, and her own Dark Mark.

 

“It’ll take her time to put the weight back on,” Severus said as he scooped Miri up. She squealed in delight and clapped as she saw Harry in the doorway. “The paralysis of her stomach meant she wasn’t getting the nutrition she needed, and we’re still adjusting the calorie count of her feed.”

 

“Right. And the Dark Mark?”

 

“An echo of mine. An Augur forms a parental link with their mother and father. In her case, she only had me, so it formed there.”

 

“Do you still have it?”

 

“Yes. It’s one of the few things that will never fade.”

 

“Hey,” Harry said as he joined them, taking Miri as she lunged for him. “We heading in?”

 

“Of course,” Severus said, refastening Miri’s clip to keep her curls at bay. “One of us really needs to learn how to tame these. This poor clip is struggling.”

 

“Harry,” James said quietly, his face pale. “You…”

 

“Oh, right,” he said, looking down at himself. “I forgot you hadn’t seen them. It’s no big deal, they’re just there, just skin.”

 

“I know, but…”

 

“Leave it,” Sirius said, unlatching the gate. “Come on, you lot! Let’s take a dip!”

 

Dorian was the first to scamper over and Sirius picked him up and carried him in. They all trickled over, applying sunscreen and losing layers. Harry took Miri into the pool where she began splashing and giggling.

 

“I know they’re jarring, but he doesn’t consider them worthy of note,” Severus said. “And, before you ask, no, he won’t be offended if you ask about them and he won’t be upset about you looking at them.”

 

“Tell me again how painfully Lucius died,” he growled, watching Harry play with Miri, splashing Remus.

 

“Very. Solarin made him explode.”

 

“Good. I hope he fucking felt it.”

 

Severus hated to admit it, but the more time he spent around James without the two of them throwing insults, the more he actually kind of liked the man.

 

Remus ducked under the water to hide his smile. The forced friendship with Severus had worked with Sirius and it seemed to be working just as well with James.

 

“Caya.”

 

“Yeah, baby.”

 

“Need a potty.”

 

“I can take her, love,” Severus offered from where he was lazing on an inflatable sun lounger.

 

“No, I’ve got it.”

 

Harry passed Miri to Remus as he hoisted himself out of the pool, and then James used reflexes he forgot he had when Harry wobbled on his feet, looking as if he was about to fall in head first.

 

“Are you alright? Harry? Remus! Something’s wrong!”

 

Miri was shuttled to Ginny and the werewolf threw himself onto dry land, Sirius and Severus right behind him. Severus took Harry’s limp form from James and laid him on the paved area surrounding the pool.

 

“I’m fine,” he mumbled. “Got dizzy. Moved too fast. Headrush.”

 

“Harry, are you still dizzy?” Remus asked as Severus took his pulse.

 

“Lil bit.”

 

He threw a look at Sirius who didn’t say a word before he headed to the house. He returned as Ginny headed inside to take Miri to the loo (after a reassurance from Severus that her Carrier wasn’t hurt, just a little lightheaded), and right behind him was Sam.

 

“This is silly,” Harry complained, sipping at the ice water Anne had poured for him. “I’m fine.”

 

“Humour us, cub,” Sam urged with a smile. “Let us fuss, it’ll make us feel useful.”

 

“Okay. I was getting out of the pool and stood up and was really dizzy.”

 

“You could be right, could be that you just stood up too fast. Or you might be dehydrated, it’s really hot,” he theorised, taking Harry’s temperature and blood pressure. “Hmmm. Not either of those. Harry, do you have any reaction to diagnostic spells?”

 

“I don’t think so. What kind of reaction?”

 

“Nausea, itchy skin, generally feeling off.”

 

“No, none of those.”

 

“Can I?”

 

“Sure.”

 

Sam cast a few spells on him and watched the tip of his wand glow a rainbow of colours before he sat back on his heels and smiled.

 

“I know what’s going on, but I won’t tell him with an audience. Privacy, people, back away.”

 

Severus helped Harry over to the garden bench under the oak tree and moved to return to the pool, giving the requested privacy, when Harry’s hand shot out and gripped his, tugging him to stay. He smiled and took a seat, tucking Harry under his arm and pressing a kiss to his forehead.

 

“You sure, pup?” Sam pressed. “We can do this in private, I’m sure Severus wouldn’t mind.”

 

“I want him with me,” Harry said simply and Sam nodded.

 

“Okay. Well, you’re not sick, and it’s not the heat,” he said with a grin.

 

“Then…” Severus pushed.

 

“Congratulations, you two. Harry, you’re pregnant.”

 

They sat there in stunned silence for a few minutes and Sam let them be, let them work it through in their minds. And then Harry began to giggle.

 

“You keep telling me I’m super fertile,” Harry laughed and Severus smiled, dazed.

 

“Yes, but I didn’t ever for a moment imagine you’d conceive so very quickly. You’ve only been off the contraceptive for three weeks.”

 

“He’s only just pregnant,” Sam offered. “No more than a couple of weeks. It’s very early, but just enough of a change to the body to throw things off, especially in this heat.”

 

“Should we be concerned?” Severus worried. “He never had dizzy spells with Miri.”

 

“I spent the first five months of the pregnancy chained to a bed,” Harry pointed out.

 

“Fair point,” Severus agreed. “So we shouldn’t worry?”

 

“No, I wouldn’t worry. Just keep on being generally healthy,” Sam advised. “Stay active, eat a balanced diet, regular sleep, all the good things. Avoid alcohol, that sort of thing. Basically, keep doing what you’re doing.”

 

“And…there’s no problem with…you know…” Harry asked, face blazing.

 

“No, no problem for you to keep having sex,” Sam assured, staying completely professional. “Of course, nothing too…uh…vigorous. No mad stunts. But a regular sex life is perfectly fine.” He put a gentle hand on Harry knee and waited until he met his eyes. “You won’t hurt it by having sex. It’s well protected in there, I promise.”

 

Harry nodded and Sam smiled at him. He paused for a moment and did the maths in his head. If Harry was only two weeks pregnant, three at the absolute most, then that put his conception at about the beginning of August. Which meant his due date was around about…

 

“I think I can safely estimate around about the beginning of May for a due date.”

 

“Same as Miri,” Harry murmured.

 

“This one was a happy occasion to make,” Severus soothed. “And no one, and I mean no one, will ever try to take this one from you. I do ask that you share, love, but I’m never going to try and take your baby from you.”

 

Harry giggled and gave him a quick kiss. “I promise to share.”

 

“All I ask.”

 

Sam patted them both on the knee and made his way to the pool to give them some privacy. He was bombarded with questions the moment he drew near, but he simply said that it was a private matter between him and his patient and he wouldn’t break his oath to soothe their curiosity. He stripped down to his boxers (a black pair) and dove in.

 

Severus tangled his fingers with Harry’s and waited for his lover to speak. It was true, they had wanted this, Harry maybe more than himself. But for it to happen so very soon after they agreed to try was completely unexpected.

 

“Do…do you want this?” Harry asked quietly.

 

“Another child with you? Harry, I will have as many children with you as you’re willing to have with me. If you’re happy to carry my child, or children, then I am ecstatic. Yes, love, I want this.”

 

“You don’t think that it’s too soon?”

 

“It is rather quick for you to conceive, but that doesn’t make it a bad thing.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Really. No waiting to see if you’ll catch, no worrying that maybe it won’t happen. It just…has. Think about this with me. If this little one appears on its due date, there will only be two years between it and Miri. Seems like a good gap to me. And…Harry, you do know that I don’t expect this of you, don’t you? I don’t expect you just to pop out baby after baby. If we have this one, and any further ones, is ultimately your decision. You decide what to do with your body, no one else.”

 

“I know that, I promise,” he swore, giving him a quick kiss. “I’m just…thinking things over. Kind of caught me by surprise.”

 

“Quite.”

 

“You’re right though. Making this one was much more fun.”

 

Severus chuckled and rubbed their noses together.

 

“I, for one, enjoyed it immensely.”

 

“Do…do we have to tell them yet?”

 

“No, not at all. We can tell who you want when you want. Harry, I want this to be different for you, better. I want you to have much more control about your own reproductive abilities. Your choices will always take precedence here. I will offer my thoughts, give my opinions, but the choices will always be yours.”

 

“You’re really just all mushy on the inside, aren’t you?” Harry asked with a smile.

 

“For you? Always.”

 

“I think I’d like to keep this to us for the moment. To have it be just ours.”

 

“Then that is how it shall be. We’ll tell them when you’re ready.”

 

Harry leaned into him and Severus took in the scent of his hair, holding him close. This pregnancy had to be different, it just had to. Harry couldn’t go through what Lucius had put him through, and Severus refused to let it happen. If he had any say in it, and he planned to have plenty, Harry would be so pampered during this pregnancy that he wouldn’t even know what stress was.

 

“Do you two have any idea what it’s like to get a damp swimming costume on and off a toddler?” Ginny asked as she walked towards them, Miri smiling around an ice lolly from where she was perched on her hip.

 

“Yes, we do actually,” Severus said. “Have fun?”

 

“Oh yeah, favourite activity.” She put Miri down on her own feet, where she toddled over and leant against Harry’s thigh. “Everything okay?”

 

“Fine,” Harry said. “It’s nothing.”

 

“Okay. She’s all yours then,” she said with a shrug, heading back to the pool.

 

“She may be the calmest Weasley that ever lived,” Severus commented with a smile.

 

“Yeah, until you piss her off.”

 

“Caya, Daddy, we go swim again?” Miri asked.

 

“Finish your lolly first,” Harry said and she nodded, tottering off to sit on the paving stones around the pool so she could finish. “What do we say to them? They’ll want to know what happened.”

 

“The same as you’ve told Ginny, that it was nothing. It’s a private medical matter, and you have as much right to privacy as anyone else.”

 

They stayed on their bench until Miri held up her lolly stick to them, and then they headed back over. As Harry had predicted, they were bombarded with questions the moment they were close enough.

 

“It’s nothing, I’m fine,” Harry said, picking up Miri and handing her over to Charlie in the water.

 

“But you fainted,” James pressed.

 

Severus sought Remus’ eyes, and when he had his gaze, he gave a small shake of the head. Remus nodded slightly and swam over to where James was sitting on the edge of the pool.

 

“Leave it alone,” the werewolf said. “Harry clearly doesn’t want to talk about it. Don’t push him. He’ll tell us or he won’t, it’s up to him.”

 

“I’m just worried about him.”

 

“I know, and I am too. But you need to take a step back from this. You push him, and you will find yourself on the receiving end of Severus again. If it were something serious, Sam would have told us to be wary, or Severus would look even a little bit concerned. Do either of them look worried? Does Harry?”

 

James looked over the three and sighed. Harry was laughing at Miri, who had managed to splash Ron in the face, and Severus was laughing with them. Sam was attempting to do an underwater handstand for Dorian’s amusement.

 

“No,” he conceded. “They look fine.”

 

“Then no need to fret,” Sirius said from where he was floating near. “If we needed to know, then we would. Probably just the heat or something. It’s Sam’s way. It’s a private medical matter, so it’ll stay private.”

 

James sighed in defeat. They were right, and he kind of hated that they were.

 

He was distracted from his building mope by Severus helping Solarin out of the pool and heading inside, the witch settling on a sun lounger and towelling off. She’d been having a good time, laughing with Dorian as Daven splashed in Oliver’s arms. But now George had taken Dorian from her and she seemed to be exhausted.

 

“Never mind our son,” James said to Remus. “Is she okay?”

 

Remus looked over and smiled gently. “She’s fine. Just needs some fluids.”

 

“Oh. She seemed fine though.”

 

“Hot day and she can’t drink,” Sirius reminded. “Severus is going to hook her up to a bag.”

 

As he said it, Severus reappeared with the needed supplies and settled beside his sister. She laid back on her lounger so Severus could get to her button. As time went on, they found that she used her nasal tube very rarely, preferring instead to use the button. Sam and Matthew had discussed removing the nasal tube altogether but had decided against it, in case she needed it.

 

James found himself fascinated by the process. He’d seen her attached to bags and to her pump, but he’d never seen it set up. First came cleansing charms and then alcohol wipes, followed by a small syringe of clear fluid.

 

“Flushing the line,” Severus said and James blushed at having been caught staring. “It makes sure there’s no blockage or kink in the tubing.”

 

“Sorry. For staring.”

 

“It’s fine,” Solarin assured. “I don’t mind.”

 

“Why don’t you do it yourself?” he asked, moving over to join them. He settled on a lounger and watched as Severus set up the bag, attaching the tubing and cleaning it again with an alcohol wipe before he actually attached it to her.

 

“It’s easier if someone else does,” she said. “Better angle. What’s left of my boobs get in the way of me seeing it properly.”

 

He sniggered and Severus rolled his eyes at her bluntness.

 

“Bill usually does it, but when he’s at work Severus takes over.”

 

“Bill’s grown into a hell of a guy,” James said, laying back. “He was a cute kid.”

 

“Mmmm, I’ve seen pictures. And we met when he was twelve, so he was still pretty cute. Thought I might be biased; I still think he’s cute.”

 

“How long have you two been together?”

 

“Just over a decade.”

 

“Now that’s staying power.”

 

“Lunch!” Anne announced from the door, hands full of an absolutely enormous platter of sandwiches.

 

The family made their way over to the blanket they’d left on the grass for the past few days. James couldn’t help but notice how Severus hovered over Harry, more than usual that is, and how happy Harry suddenly seemed, as if all was right with the world.

 

The curiosity was going to kill him.

 

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Severus left the shower to the glorious sound of a raging thunderstorm. The heatwave had finally broken sometime between Harry carrying Miri off to her room in her towel and him leaving the bathroom, the heavens had opened. It was raining so hard, he couldn’t see the oak tree in the garden.

 

Harry was curled in the window seat, watching the rain, knees curled up to his chest with his chin resting on them.

 

Severus slowly made his way over and settled with him, tugging his feet into his lap and using his thumbs to work at his toes.

 

“The storm bothering you?” he asked lightly.

 

“Not really. No more than usual,” he said, leaning his head back against the wall. “It seems like something from the Bible. Aunt Petunia sent me to Sunday school for a bit. Thought it would purge the evil from me. It didn’t work of course, but she still thought it would.”

 

“How long did you attend?”

 

“A few weeks. She pulled me out when I ended up on the school roof. I was being chased by Dudley and his friends and then…I was just up there. She said it was a waste of time after that.”

 

“I don’t remember her ever being a religious woman. Her parents weren’t.”

 

Harry hummed and shifted his feet, Severus moving to work on the arch of his left foot and getting a murmur of pleasure.

 

“I liked the story of Noah. The Sunday school teacher had a wooden boat and all these wooden animals. I thought it was pretty.”

 

“They tend to be,” he said. “I bought one for Sol when she was little. Maybe we could get one for Miri.”

 

“I was thinking…maybe we could have Noah’s Ark as the nursery for this one,” he said cautiously, his hand resting on his belly.

 

“An interesting idea,” Severus mused. “We could have a part of the wall with a green hill, and the rest as ocean, with the boat there on the waves.”

 

“Or have the whole thing as when they get off the boat,” Harry suggested with a small smile. “A beach and blue skies with all the animals coming off the Ark.”

 

“That sounds very nice, love. You could draw them yourself. Do some drawings and we’ll transfer them to the walls. We could use the room next to Miri’s.”

 

“I want to move,” Harry said. “The house I want built. I want to move before this baby comes.”

 

Severus nodded, focussing on the feet in his lap. “We’ll work on the designs, love, get the ball really moving.”

 

“And I want a Healer this time. I want to do this one right. I want you as my husband this time, not my midwife. I want scans, and…and…all the things. All the things every other pregnant person has.”

 

“Any particular Healer?”

 

“Sam. I want Sam. I want him to take care of me for this.”

 

Severus nodded and hummed in agreement. He knew there was more, Harry had been thinking this over all day.

 

“I don’t want to know what it is until it’s born. Everyone said Miri was a boy and look how that went. No, I don’t want anyone making any judgements about him or her until they come out. Me and you pick a name, just like last time. It will be perfect for our baby and up to no one else, and I’m not telling anyone until I’ve named them and the name suits them. I’m giving birth at home, in our room, just like last time. There will be no Madame Pomfrey hovering in the corner, and no one in that room except the people I choose.”

 

“Absolutely.”

 

“And I want to be the first person to hold this one,” he demanded. “Like…straight out of me and into my arms.”

 

“Of course, love. All your way, I promise. Well, within reason. Your way as long as it’s safe for you both.”

 

Harry nodded and pulled his feet away, moving smoothly onto his knees and into Severus’ lap. The older man squeezed his hips and then wound his arms around him, holding him steady.

 

“We made a baby,” Harry whispered against his lips. “Like, a whole baby. And we didn’t even need to try that hard.” He giggled. “We’re having a baby.”

 

Severus smiled and kissed him, holding him tighter for a moment before freeing one arm and sliding his hand down, resting it over where their child was growing.

 

“You’re amazing, do you know that? Absolutely incredible. Look at you. Making another beautiful child for me to love and adore.” He kissed him again. “Thank you, Harry. Thank you.” Another kiss. He kept professing his thanks between each kiss until Harry was giggling too much to kiss back, and then he moved to his neck.

 

Severus stood and carried him to the bed, laying him out and moving his kisses to every piece of skin he could find. Harry hummed in agreement, wriggling out of his clothes so Severus had more skin to worship. And it was worship. He felt like some holy being Severus was worshiping with his hands and his mouth and his body. His older lover took his time, teasing his flesh, stroking and kissing and nipping, littering his body with little pink marks he knew would fade by morning.

 

He pushed himself up and reached for Severus’ boxers, all he’d been wearing out of his shower, and pushed them down, joining their mouths once more as Severus kicked them off.

 

“Want you,” Harry murmured against his lips, licking into his mouth, and Severus groaned.

 

They flipped so Harry was on top, Severus fumbling for the drawer to grab the lube. He slicked himself and set to teasing Harry, smoothing his way inside the pliant flesh.

 

“You take too long,” Harry complained, squirming. He pulled Severus’ hand away and lined up, sinking down and moaning.

 

It was perfect, the perfect way to celebrate their child, their proof of their love. This baby had been made in love, and it seemed perfect to celebrate it in that way.

 

He moved on Severus, tangling his fingers in his damp hair and joining their mouths, sighing at the way Severus gripped his hips and enjoyed his movements. Severus was letting him lead, as usual, but it never felt like his husband was a passive partner. Severus may let him lead in the bedroom (or wherever else they ended up doing it), but his Severus was as much a sucker for their lovemaking as he was. The Slytherin gave as good as he got, matching him in passion and heat, always wanting to give pleasure and take it, to make it good for both of them.

 

“Please,” Harry whimpered, tugging at his hair. “Severus…please.”

 

“I know,” he gasped, nibbling at his throat.

 

He slipped his hand down, cupping his balls and stroking his clit with his long middle finger, licking at his nipple as Harry chased the pleasure. It happened in a moment, between one heartbeat and the next, and Harry ground down on him, pulling him into the swirling vortex of orgasm. The whole world disappeared, all blinked out in a single moment where there was nothing else but each other.

 

Harry came back to himself first, which had never happened before, but it gave him the chance to stare at Severus. Severus was laid back on the pillows, hair a wild mess around his head, chest heaving as he gasped for air. He was sweaty and flushed and his lips were all swollen and red.

 

He was beautiful.

 

“Hi,” Harry said with a smile when Severus blinked up at him. “Welcome back.”

 

“Mmmm. Not like you to come back first.”

 

He shrugged. “It was bound to happen sooner or later.”

 

Severus tilted his head up with a finger under his chin and gave him a sweet, gentle kiss.

 

They didn’t speak as Severus cleaned them up and they settled into the bedding, curled around each other.

 

“I want to tell them,” Harry said into the dark, stroking Severus’ arms. “Can we tell them at breakfast?”

 

“So soon?”

 

“You think it’s too soon?”

 

“No, not if it is what you want. I just assumed you’d want longer.”

 

“I thought I would too, but I just want to tell them now. To be honest, I kind of want to announce it in the Prophet.”

 

Severus chuckled.

 

“Alright, love. Breakfast it is.”

 

“Should we tell Miri first?” he wondered. “Will she understand?”

 

“I don’t know. I think she might be a bit young to really understand. But we do have months to help her understand.”

 

“She gets to be a big sister,” Harry said, wriggling in happiness. “She needs a t-shirt.”

 

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Severus and Anne made a full English for breakfast, and even brewed real coffee, grinding the beans himself.

 

“This is wicked,” Ron complimented, a mouth full of mushrooms.

 

“Agreed,” Sirius added, helping himself to another fried slice. “How come we warrant a special breakfast?”

 

“Don’t look at me,” Anne said over her tea. “Severus came up with the idea.”

 

They all looked at Severus, who only had eyes for Harry. The younger man was blushing at his scrambled eggs.

 

“Are you sure, love?” he asked quietly.

 

“Yeah, I’m sure.” He took a deep breath and looked up, straight at Remus. Remus had never scoffed at him, never refused to listen. His Alpha would take it well, even if no one else did. He carefully didn’t look at James.

 

“Whatever’s on your mind, pup, you can tell us,” Remus soothed.

 

“Well…when I went all dizzy yesterday, and I said it was nothing?”

 

“We remember,” Sirius said.

 

“Vividly,” James added.

 

“That…wasn’t strictly true. It wasn’t nothing, but I didn’t want to tell you all because I kind of…wanted it to be just mine. Just for a little while. But I realised last night that I want to share it, I want you all to know.”

 

“Harry,” Sirius interrupted. “Are you happy about this thing you want to share?”

 

“Yeah, I am.” He grinned. “Really happy.”

 

“Then tell us. We’ll be happy if you are.”

 

Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly before he once again locked eyes with Remus, tangling his fingers with Severus’. His husband stroked the back of his hand with his thumb.

 

“I’m pregnant.”

 

There was absolute deafening silence. No one seemed to be able to say anything.

 

“Uncle Hawwy, what’s peg-nat?” Dorian asked innocently, trying to get more beans.

 

Harry scooped another spoonful onto his plate.

 

“It means I’m going to have a baby,” he explained.

 

“In youw tummy?”

 

“Yup. It’ll grow inside me until it’s ready to come out.”

 

“Will you get big?”

 

“Kind of, but I’m not that big to begin with, so not that big.”

 

“Mummy, will you grow a baby?”

 

Solarin smiled. “No, baby, I can’t grow babies. I don’t work like that anymore. But I already have you and your sister. I’m all done, got my two beautiful babies.”

 

“Oh. Okay. More bacon, please.”

 

“Hold up,” Sirius said, holding up a hand. “I think my brain might be imploding.”

 

“Not me this time,” Sol joked and he managed a weak laugh.

 

“A baby? Another baby?” Sirius checked. “And you’re sure? I mean…you’re sure?”

 

“I’m sure,” Sam said. “Did the spells myself.” He looked at Harry, who nodded. “It’s very early, only a couple of weeks.”

 

“Did you plan this?” James asked, scarily quiet, eyes fixed on Severus.

 

“Yes, we did,” Harry snapped. “I want another baby, I’ve wanted one for ages, but Severus said no until I finished school. Well, now I have finished and I can and I’m happy about it, so whatever you’re about to say, don’t.”

 

There was an awkward silence.

 

“I think it’s marvellous news, pup,” Remus said, smiling. “Is there anything you need? Any pregnancy symptoms getting to you yet?”

 

“No, not yet. If I hadn’t gone all woozy, I wouldn’t even know yet.” He sniggered. “We really didn’t expect it to happen so soon. I’ve only been unprotected since my birthday.”

 

“That’s really fast,” Hermione said, stunned, before she looked at Ron. “Don’t get any ideas.”

 

“Not a single one,” he swore. “Swear it. Not an idea in my head. Never had an idea in my life.”

 

“Good, because not a chance, mister.”

 

“No, no, no, we’ll leave it to them. We’ve got enough with these two, thanks.”

 

She nodded decisively.

 

“Smart man,” Charlie mumbled. “When are you due?”

 

“May,” Harry said simply, gripping at Severus’ hand. The older man’s other hand came to rest on his back.

 

“It won’t be like last time, pup,” Sirius said, leaning forwards in his seat. “I promise. Nothing like last time.”

 

Harry nodded and poked at his sausage with his fork.

 

Arthur put a hand on James’ shoulder and guided him to the door.

 

“We’re just going for a little chat,” he said. “It’s wonderful news, Harry, really. Congratulations to you both.”

 

The two men disappeared and they could hear them in the unused dining room, talking, though their voices were just muffled enough that they couldn’t be made out.

 

“Do you think Arthur can get through to him?” Severus asked.

 

“Who knows?” Remus said, helping himself to more tomatoes. “He can’t have any worse luck than the rest of us.”

 

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Harry couldn’t sleep.

 

He should have known that his calm streak couldn’t last. Sooner or later, his nerves always came back.

 

It had been two days since he’d dropped the baby bomb, and everyone had taken it as the happy news it was. Well, they had all seemed to. If anyone had any negative feelings, they didn’t share them with him, and for that he was grateful.

 

It was gone two and he just couldn’t sleep. The slightest creak of the house or whir of the pipes had him jumping.

 

“What can I do, love?” Severus asked, rubbing his back.

 

“Nothing,” he said, patting his chest and sitting up. “I think I just need to go and be for a while.”

 

“Alright, love. I’m here if you need me. Try to come back for some sleep?”

 

“I’ll try,” he promised, before he gave him a kiss and slipped out of bed. Severus watched him go.

 

Harry ended up at the kitchen table with a glass of chocolate milk and some cookies.

 

“I heard you get up,” James said gently from the doorway. “Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah. Just a little…off. It happens sometimes. I get anxious.”

 

James made his way in and fixed a cup of tea, carefully adding exactly two and a third spoonful’s of sugar and stirring the tablespoon of milk in counter clockwise stirs for exactly twelve turns, then adding a single clockwise turn. He set it in front of Harry and took a seat.

 

“Used to make it for your mum. She was very specific with the instructions.”

 

Harry took a sip and moaned.

 

“It’s good. Tastes familiar.”

 

“I made it for you a few times…before. You started having night terrors, just after your first birthday. It was the only way to settle you back down for the night.”

 

Harry sipped at his drink, feeling it settle warmly in his stomach.

 

“Lucius kept me chained to a bed,” he said quietly, halfway through his cup. “The first five months of my pregnancy, I was chained up. I guess…”

 

“I think it’s pretty normal to be worried about it all,” James said carefully. “I think I would be.” He sighed. “Look, I can’t say I’m thrilled. You seem too young to have another baby. But, you’re happy about it and it’s what you want so…I’ll go with it. Just…this was your choice, right? You decided this?”

 

“I did. It’s my choice. Actually, if it were up to me, I would have had another baby before now. But Severus wanted me to at least finish school before we had more. It’s smart, he was right. Miri used to make my magic go all funky, so waiting was the smart thing.”

 

“Okay. I’ll take it. You’re still my son, even though this has been hard. I just want you to know, I’m here now. However we make this work, then that’s how it works. But I’m here. I can’t take back the years, I can’t undo it. If I could, I’d definitely bring Lily back for you. So you could have your mum. But I’m all there is. So…maybe you could give me a hint? Show me how to be your dad now?”

 

Harry smiled and reached out to take his hand. James’ hand was warm and firm in his own, and felt so safe.

 

“I think you’re doing fine so far, now you and Severus are better. We’ll figure it out together.”

 

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End file.
